The Other Side of the Coin
by VoidofRoses
Summary: AU wherein instead of simply naming the runt of the tribe 'Hiccup', the runt is considered bad luck and tossed to the sea gods. As fate would have it, this runt was washed up on Outcast Island and raised as Alvin's heir. A rewrite of the Alvin and the Outcasts episode and onwards, with book elements. Hicstrid. Warning for blood and guts.
1. Chapter 1

AU wherein instead of simply naming the runt of the tribe 'Hiccup', the runt is considered bad luck and tossed to the sea gods. As fate would have it, this runt was washed up on Outcast Island and raised as Alvin's heir.

Meanwhile back on Berk, fifteen years later, Astrid learns how to train dragons when she shoots down and fails to kill a Deadly Nadder she names Stormfly. Astrid and Stormfly end the 300 year war between the Hairy Hooligans and the dragons, but Astrid's name as the dragon conqueror has reached the ears of the Outcasts…

After fifteen years of being hidden from the world, Berk is about to get a visit from Alvin's bloodthirsty son, Hiccup the Horrendous, and they had better satisfy his curiosity if they want to get out of this one alive.

* * *

_This is Outcast Island. As the name might suggest, it's a barren wasteland where the sun rarely shines, y'know, when it's not an overcast day which is pretty much every day. Food is scarce, vegetables are even scarcer and you can forget about bread, Outcasts don't have the patience for something like that. Any food that we do manage to scrounge up is tough and sinewy, just like the vikings that are bred here. Sometimes you're lucky if you manage to live to see the other day because of a little something called-_

"_Dragon raid_!"

The call and the scattering of the vikings that inhabited the meanger village that dwelt on Outcast Island snapped Hiccup out of his internal monologue in time for him to duck and roll out of the way, hand immediately going to his back to yank his axe free as his training kicked in. Now, Hiccup wasn't your conventional Outcast - he had been scrawnier than the older vikings as a child, and even now his stature wasn't exactly the best even though he'd built up muscle as he got older. A scar ran over his forehead and down along his left eye where he'd been attacked by a Monstrous Nightmare at age eight, another on his right cheek from the spike of a Deadly Nadder when he'd completed dragon training at ten.

Another dodge and Hiccup swung his axe into the air, watching it slice into the underside of the neck of a Nadder, clear through the jugular. Blood splattered along the ground as the Nadder fell from the sky, tumbling before it landed just a few feet away from the boy, who stepped forward to retrieve his weapon, yanking it free from tough dragon hide before he swung it down, severing the head completely.

"Hiccup!" The voice caught his attention and he looked up, boot pressed firmly on the Nadder's head as he shouldered his axe. Savage was gesturing him over to the great hall and he scowled, glancing around. There were too many dragons tonight, more than usual, and Hiccup watched his father shoot a Hideous Zippleback with a boulder from a catapault before he started running for the hall.

"I was just starting to get into it, too." Hiccup used his long sleeve to wipe the blood from his axe as he stepped into the hall, followed shortly after by the chief and his lieutenant. The Outcasts who had already smartly taken shelter (the cowards) immediately shut up as the boy stepped closer to the fire, taking his usual position as the doors were closed. Anybody who was left outside would be dragon chow.

Alvin chuckled, rolling his shoulders as he patted him on the shoulder, avoiding the spikes from his shoulder guards and making the necklace of dragon teeth rattle around Hiccup's neck. "You'll get your chance soon enough, boy." He turned his attention to Savage, raising an eyebrow before turning it back to the younger viking he had adopted as his own with a vicious grin. "I think it's time."

Hiccup's brow furrowed before realization kicked in and he lowered his axe, setting it on the floor blade-end first. His eyes gleamed a deadly green, his own grin spreading across his lips. "You mean it?"

"Of course, of course. When have I lied to you?"

"Well there was that one time..."

The Outcasts in the hall nearly jumped when Alvin let out a laugh at that, his shoulders shaking with mirth, and they shared a look. Only the chief's son could get away with talking like that. Hiccup raised an eyebrow and waited for his father to calm down, lifting his axe off the floor and pulling a stone from his back pocket, starting to sharpen the blade as he leaned it against the brick hearth. This could take some time after all.

Once he was calm, Alvin shook his head, starting to speak again. "We sail for Berk under the cover of night. They won't see us coming."

"Why not take the entire army, your eminence?"

"We're not going there to fight Stoick." Hiccup stiffened at the name, his eyes darkening. "We're only there for one man - the dragon conqueror."

"I heard he's ten feet tall, with the strength of a dozen men."

"Well, he certainly won't be hard to find then, will he?" the teenager responded through gritted teeth, setting his sharpening stone to the side as he examined his blade by the firelight. He tossed his axe up into the air, catching it by the handle before he throws it in the direction of the other gathered Outcasts, the air around the blade whistling as it sliced open someone's head. Nobody blinked, nobody even moved a muscle before he flexed his fingers with a small sigh and turned to Alvin, shoulders and back straight and proud. "Father, let me face Stoick."

"You're not ready yet, Hiccup." Alvin let his hand rest in the small of Hiccup's back, watching the boy's face scowl and snarl like a wild animal. Hiccup's origins were no secret to either of them, how he'd been cast out on a small boat as a child and left to the gods to decide what to do with. Fate had him land on Outcast Island, and the rest was history. Alvin had not kept things secret from Hiccup, instead using them to fuel his anger and hate and mold him into the perfect fighter. The boy was every bit Stoick's son, right down to the stubbornness that seemed to plague the Haddock line. "No, not yet. I'm tasking you with the most important thing - capturing the dragon conqueror from right under Stoick's nose. He shouldn't be too much for you to handle, surely."

Hiccup pursed his lips together before he walked over to the viking that he had killed, stepping his foot onto the middle of their chest and pulling his axe free from the head for the second time that evening. Blood dripped from the blade and he turned back to look at Alvin.

"I can handle a warrior with the strength of a dozen men. I've taken care of our best in my training, haven't I?"

"Excellent, excellent. Savage! Ready the ships!" The lieutenant straightened himself and nodded, even as the explosions of dragon fire sounded outside. Alvin leaned forward onto the brick surrounding the hearth, face twisted in the firelight. "Tomorrow night, we set sail for Berk, and my son is going to best Stoick's so-called dragon conqueror."


	2. Chapter 2

Astrid was fuming, but on the inside she was hoping Fishlegs had gotten to Stoick and Gobber fast enough. He might not have been the fastest runner, but this was an emergency situation. With their dragons gone, Outcasts on the island and their weapons stock depleted, they had very few options, no thanks to Mildew. But if Fishlegs was right and they were looking for her, then she could at the very least have something of an advantage in that they hadn't captured her with the other villagers.

Looking down at the three Outcasts using the rocky ledge as a kind of stage, she couldn't help but watch the one in the middle who seemed to be the ringleader. That was definitely not Alvin the Treacherous, if the stories her father had told her about him were true. He certainly wasn't a lithe, weedy-looking thing of a teenager, that was for sure, but Astrid could tell by the look on his face that he meant business. He rested his hand on his upturned axe, his other placed on his hip as he raised an eyebrow in the direction where Ruffnut had just decked Mildew before he could say anything, giving him her best sweet smile when narrowed green eyes look at her.

"Sorry, sir, my grandfather's very old, he needs his nap."

He gives her a look before he rolls his eyes, shouldering his axe in the crook of his neck that was free from the spiked shoulder guards he wore. Astrid watched the way his small muscles moved from where she was hiding, her own axe in hand. "As I was saying before I was interrupted, my name is Hiccup the Horrendous, son of Alvin the Treacherous and heir to the Outcast tribe." His eyes glanced over the adults in the captured villagers, as though he was watching for their reaction. "We've come for your so-called dragon conqueror."

So it was true. They were after her. Astrid slid down and hugged the shadows on the side of her rock, hearing murmurs go up among the crowd as she clutched her axe in both hands. What she wouldn't give to have Stormfly with her right now.

"I'm afraid I have very little patience," Hiccup was saying, running the pad of his thumb over the blade of his axe, watching the way blood bubbled up along the slick cut before he licked it into his mouth. He was so distracted that he didn't see Snotlout climbing up onto the platform, carrying the club that they'd found on the beach that morning. "If the dragon conqueror fails to show himself in the next hour? Then I might just have to start dealing with Berk's...population control. I'm sure _Stoick_ could do with a few less mouths to feed."

Astrid felt her heart race in her chest, her eyes widening. He was going to kill people if she didn't give herself up. Snotlout's war cry reached her ears and she spun around from where she was leaning back against her rock, watching him raise the club over his head. "Snotlout, you _idiot_!" she hissed to herself, fingers clenching around the edges of the rock.

One sweep of his foot was all that Hiccup needed to take the other viking down - Snotlout might've been big in stature and one of their best fighters in their age group, but watching him mess up so easily...it was kind of painful to watch. Once he had him on the rocky floor, a booted foot found his chest, Hiccup leaning down with a menacing grin on his face as he hovered his axe at blade point over the other boy's throat. "It seems like we have our first volunteer..."

"Wait!" Astrid stood up before she realized what she was doing, swallowing down a breath as she hopped over her rock, landing on the rocky ledge with ease and her axe in hand. "I'm the one you're looking for."

Green eyes looked at her, his gaze seeming to stare into her soul before he leaned up and away from Snotlout, keeping his foot pressed against the other boy's chest as a way of keeping him pinned to the ground. His upper lip lifted into a sneer, gaze roaming her body. "_You're_ the dragon conqueror?"

"Yes."

There was a moment of silence before he burst out laughing, followed by a chorus of laughter from the other Outcasts. Astrid gripped her weapon in a white-knuckled grasp as she straightened her shoulders - she couldn't do anything, not with Snotlout in danger. But Snotlout was quick to interject the laughter, breath wheezing out of him due to the foot crushing his ribs.

"I-it's true. All the dragons are afraid of her. Wh-why do you think you haven't seen any?"

Good, good. Hiccup looked like he was buying it. His nose scrunched up before he leaned down, hooking the sharp edge of his axe's blade into the neck of the other boy's shirt. "I think you've soiled your pants," he purred before he lifted his foot and unceremoniously kicked Snotlout off the platform, turning his attention to Astrid. "And how can we be sure that you're the dragon conqueror?"

"Take me to dragon island."


	3. Chapter 3

The Outcast boat was bigger than the boats that came from Berk, Astrid observed from where she was being kept under guard, spears criss-crossed in front of her. Many of the vikings were big brutes, hairier than the average Hairy Hooligan if it could even be believed. Most of them had grim looks on their faces, nervously looking towards their chief's son before they became flustered and returned their attention to sailing to the dragon island.

Hiccup the Horrendous, in the meantime, was looking at her as though he was searching for something, barely paying attention to his crew. Inquisitive, curious green eyes stared at her, almost as though he wasn't sure what to make of her, trying to guess her game. He sat on a barrel under the mast, sharpening his axe with a type of stone Astrid herself was familiar with, one leg crossed over the other.

For a moment, Astrid could swear she saw _her_ chief sitting there instead, doing his morning wood work. The stance was almost the same, with a bit of Outcast thrown in. Her brow furrowed in confusion, lips pursing together. It didn't make any sense. Hiccup was the universal viking name for a runt, an accident. It shouldn't have surprised her that the Outcasts would use it too. He met her gaze, green locking on blue, and he laughed, tucking the sharpening stone into a pocket on his person and setting his axe down on the floor of the boat, blade first.

"What's so funny?" she spat out, only to have the guards at her sides cross their spears in a more threatening way. Astrid took a couple of steps back, pressing herself against the hull of the ship in alarm. If she was killed here, her plan wouldn't work, and she closed her eyes, steadying herself before she exhaled, opening her gaze again to look at him as he stood from his seat on the upturned barrel, voice taking on a quieter charm her mother had taught her. "I-I mean, what's so funny, your most hideousness?"

"You're a brave lass," he started, closing the distance between them as he swung his weapon lazily at his side. Hiccup came to stop in front of her, and Astrid realized they were the same height, if not he had a few more inches on her. He placed his hand on his hip, leaning forward as he used the wood of his axe to tilt her chin up, a motion that made her stand stock still in fright of nicking her neck. "Staring at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you've seen me before but can't place where." He turned her head to the side, observing her facial features before he stood back, tilting his own head but nonetheless holding his axe at her. "Curiouser and curiouser, isn't it? The Norns[1] work in mysterious ways." She must have looked at him like he was raving mad, because he laughed again, though this time it was far more sinister than before, not so light hearted. Hiccup turned away from her, axe going over his shoulder.

"I...well, yes, it is strange. You're Alvin's son, yet I could swear you look more like Chief Stoick than..."

She yelped as he swung his axe at her, cutting through the spears holding her from escaping with alarmed calls from his crew and all of a sudden he was up in her face, eyes wide and wild as he snarled, and Astrid could almost swear that he looked like Stormfly had when she had her pinned against the rock.

Only Stormfly had let her go. She was almost certain that he wasn't going to.

"Don't you _ever_ mention that _name_ in my presence!" he growled out, pinning her to the hull of his boa with the blade inches away from her neck. Astrid scrambled back away to escape but he reached out, snagging her by the arm in a grip that must have crushed rocks. She remembered the way he'd spat out Stoick's name on the rocks, remembered the look on his face. It looked like that was a trigger for him to go absolutely berserk, and somehow or other she managed to squeak out a 'yes, sir' before he let her go. He must have thought her too valuable to loose, because the next minute there was a dead Outcast on the floor of the boat and Hiccup's axe was dripping with blood. He let out a small sigh like an appeased dragon, glancing at one of the other crew members. "You, put his body in salt water downstairs until we can get back home. Looks like we won't have to worry about dinner tonight."

He chuckled and the other Outcasts laughed, watching the selected viking drag his dead comrade down into the lower decks of the ship. Astrid felt like she was going to throw up, her face turning pale. "How barbaric," she whispered. Even though she knew Outcasts ate captured tribe chiefs and their heirs, she never expected them to eat their own kind, much less for such an act to be demonstrated in front of her, to an extent.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at her, lips quirking. "And yet you eat yak and sheep. I hardly see how eating my fellow clansmen is different, especially when you're so willing to toss yours away."

"I have _never_ tossed my clansmen away!" she hissed, eyes narrowing at him. What did he know about life on Berk anyway? He eyed her in disbelief before she sneered at him. "Never."

"Not to your memory at least," was his cryptic reply as he wiped the blood from the blade of his axe. At the look on her face, he turned away from her. "A long time ago, your chief and his wife had a baby." Her brow furrowed in confusion, wondering why the story of Valhallarama's miscarriage was being told to her. "When he was born, he wasn't very big for a viking baby, a runt more or less."

"But he wasn't born," she said, careful of her words of choice. He seemed to be going somewhere with this, however far fetched it was that he actually ihad/i been born. "Hiccups like that don't..." Her eyes widened as everything clicked into place - why she'd seen the chief when he'd been sharpening his axe instead of him, why he flew into a rage at Stoick's name. "...don't survive the birthing process."

"Let alone the ship out to sea, right?" He looked over his shoulder at her before he turned in her direction again, leaning forward onto his axe. Hiccup tilted his head, lips quirking into a smirk. "A hiccup like that wouldn't survive the Wrath of Thor, couldn't possibly have washed up on Outcast Island after days at sea."

Astrid felt her breath catch in her throat, knowing where she'd seen his eyes before now. She had vague memories of Valhallarama before her passing, of brilliant green eyes laughing with life and a sense of adventure. Here they were, staring back at her, mirthless and deadly. She felt dread pile up in her stomach as he grinned, the motion stretching his mouth across his face. She had to get back to Berk, had to warn Stoick that Alvin had adopted and corrupted his son who should have died a long time ago. He opened his mouth to respond to her before he was interrupted by one of his crewmen screaming out 'LAND HO'.

"Here's your moment of truth, _dragon conqueror_," he purred, walking away from her as he started shouting orders for them to anchor just off shore. Astrid wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing one hand along her arm as she fought down the shiver that threatened to rise along her spine, hoping that her plan would work.

She was shuffled into the water and made to wade towards the shore, water hitting the hem of her skirt as she walked between two Outcasts, Hiccup just off to the side and axe drawn, she assumed in case of a dragon attack or more likely treason. She felt a large hand push her forward and she nearly fell forward into the shallow water, catching herself just in time but not enough to avoid being laughed at.

Her eyes widened when she saw Stormfly hop up onto the rocks near where they'd said their goodbyes, but she straightened her expression when she noticed Hiccup looking at her out the corner of her eye. Astrid turned, holding her hands up as her Nadder took a couple of steps down to the beach. "Whoa, hold up! You don't just rush at a Deadly Nadder! Y-you never know when they could fire their spikes."

"By all means." Hiccup's tone was condescending at best, but she rolled her eyes and started walking over to Stormfly, her confidence creeping back as she met her dragon's gaze. Stormfly sqwaked indignantly, wings fluttering at her sides before she bowed down like she did when she was playing.

"Back! Back, you beast! Don't you know who I am?"

Hiccup watched the dance between dragon and rider, completely unknowing of the latter title as he moved, studying it curiously. It certainly didn't seem like the actions of a proper viking, not like he was used to. If it had been him, the Nadder would be dead before he would have been able to take a step forward, but he respected the woman's wishes and kept back, though his hand tightened around his axe. Something wasn't right.

His eyes narrowed and he hissed when he saw her sling something onto the Nadder's back, turning it around to face them with a smug smirk on her lips. "By the way, it's not dragon conqueror. It's dragon _trainer_."

"Get them!"

Astrid let out a laugh as Stormfly took to the air with her on her back, tail flipping to knock spears out of the sky with her spikes and pinning a few Outcasts to the beach. She dug her knees in, gripping the saddle with a white-knuckled grasp. "Let's go home, girl! _Hyah_!" Almost as though taking that as a signal they could return home, her friends' dragons rose up with her, taking to the skies. Something whizzed through the air between Astrid and Stormfly's heads - an axe. She watched it fall to the ground before she looked down to see Hiccup fuming up at her, his gaze promising pain next time they met.

She had to get back to Berk and warn Stoick.

* * *

[1] the Norns were the goddesses who ruled the destiny of gods and men, comparable to the Fates in Greek mythology. They were powerful giantesses whose arrival ended the golden age of gods, named Urðr (Wyrd), Verðandi and Skuld respectively.

**Author's notes:** and here is where our story truly starts. I was expecting this to end here but it unexpectedly spawned ten more chapters and perhaps four or five more remaining to be written. Thank you for reading so far :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's notes:** to those of you worried Toothless isn't going to show up, don't. He will be in this fic, just remember that fics take a little time so please be patient. This isn't a perfect fic or anything, I have no delusions about that. It's actually my first httyd fic, but the idea wouldn't get out of my head and I knew the only way to read it was to write it myself. Now, some people seem to have a bit of a problem reading things _thoroughly_, which is why I haven't answered some reviews with questions, because if you did read you'd realize the answer was asked already.

Also note, this is an AU, of course people aren't going to have the same reactions to things as they do in canon. I didn't explore the way the actual movie would change because this is supposed to be from the _Alvin and the Outcasts_ episode and onwards. Outcast!Hiccup has a vastly different personality compared to canon!Hiccup because of the way he was raised (trained instead of pushed to the side, taught warfare and tactics instead of relying on his own natural cleverness - which he still does, it's just refined to a more nasty type of thinking - Alvin building up his hate towards Stoick, etc.). I could go on for hours, but I won't. Maybe I'll write something up and post it to my tumblr.

This is still in production and has a long way to go, so I suggest if you don't like the idea, leave well enough alone. I'm not going to blubber and pull it just because I got a little hate review that I can just delete. I'm 27 and writing this for fun during downtime at work. Thanks to everyone for reading and leaving such encouraging reviews :) I'm glad I could get you all interested in my little AU.

* * *

Hiccup hacked and hacked at a tree with his axe, turning around and throwing it before pulling it out and rinse and repeat, anger never leaving him. The dragon conqueror had humiliated him in front of his tribe, had gotten away when he'd been commanded to bring her back. He pulled his axe back, swinging it down in front of him and into the dead wood hard enough to split it in half. His shoulders shook with rage as he glared at his weapon before turning and throwing it to the ground, watching it land at his father's feet. He straightened himself, even though his upper lip curled into a sneer. "Father."

Alvin had been watching his adopted son for a while, watched the way he had been perfecting his throw and aim until it couldn't be perfected anymore. Hiccup was seething with rage, not unlike a child throwing a tantrum and he simply raised his eyebrow at the sneer. Instead, he ground out "Pick up yer axe."

The younger viking scowled before he did as ordered, barely able to pick it up in time before his father brought his own down. Hiccup rolled out from underneath the blade, lifting his axe to block Alvin's attack. His eyes held no questioning disbelief - this was normal - instead, they narrowed dangerously as he struck back. Back and forth they went, parrying and blocking and Grimbeard Grappling until finally, Alvin had Hiccup pinned and weaponless, but not to say that both of them weren't panting. Hiccup stared up at his father challengingly, an act that would have had a lesser clansman killed.

Alvin cuffed him over the head with the back of his hand before he removed his axe, grabbing Hiccup by the front of his shirt. "You had _one job_, boy!" he barked, spittle flying everywhere, and Hiccup brought a hand up to wipe his sleeve over his face. "_One job_, and you let a _female_ get the better of you! She wasn't even a Odin damned _Bog Burglar_!"

"I won't make any excuses for my failure, father," he spat back out, seething from his very core. He knew that excuses would only make Alvin angrier, knew from experience. "She had this _way_ with the beast. I can't explain it. She _rode_ the dragon, father. Can you imagine what we could do with an army of dragons at our disposal?" Hiccup took notice of the look on Alvin's face, nodding to himself. He'd let someone else suck up. Such a thing was beneath him. Instead, he lifted his smaller hands and used them to uncurl his father's fist from his shirt, moving back. "We could rule the skies."

"We need to know how they control them to start with," Alvin said, flexing his fingers as he retracted his hand.

"I've already thought about that." Hiccup walked over to his axe, picking it up from where it had fallen during their fight. He examined the blade before sheathing it into the strap behind his back. He turned his head to look at Alvin, eyes gleaming in the dark. "Let me infiltrate Berk." At the look of distaste, he continued. "Think about it. I was born in Berk. I can feign that you made me work for you. _Stoick_ will be too busy being beside himself to realize that he's being played."

"And then you learn how to train dragons."

"Exactly."

The older viking tilted his head, grinning down at his son before he laughed, lowering his hand to ruffle Hiccup's hair violently even as the boy gave an indignant 'hey!', despite his own vicious grin. "You're every bit as treacherous as your old man, Hiccup."

* * *

Stoick sat down with a heavy thump into his chair as Astrid left the great hall with her dragon and her friends, placing a hand to his head. His son was alive. After all these years, his son was alive. An Outcast, but alive. He didn't know if he was relieved or horrified. Gods, his boy was an Outcast. By Astrid's description, it sounded like he was well enough, even with that hanging over his head.

"He's alive, Gobber." He was only vaguely aware of his friend's presence, all other noise aside from the crackling of the hearth gone. He steepled his hands and let out a small laugh. "My boy's alive."

"Aye, he's alive." The blonde took a swig from his mughand, relaxing back against their table as he crossed his peg leg over his normal one. "But he's an Outcast. So where does that leave us?"

Stoick's shoulders sagged, pushing himself up from his seat. He started pacing around the area, arms tucked around behind his back. Where _did_ that leave him? Stoick may have been a viking, but he wasn't sure if he could kill his son again. After losing his wife, things had been hard. He felt his age more and more each day, to the point that Gobber had had to step in as his second. "Gods, Gobber, what do I do?" He looked up at the ceiling of the great hall, towards Asgard. "Val, give me a sign. What do I do with our boy?"

The boy that he should have raised. The boy that he had been so proud to see brought into the world but because of customs had to toss to the sea. The Gods had made their choice. Hiccup was an Outcast and that was that. There was no questioning it.

Stoick could only hope he wouldn't be faced with him anytime soon.

* * *

Astrid gave a sigh as she sat down on the ramp leading down to the pier, Stormfly seated next to her and nuzzling the side of her head. Things didn't add up. She understood their tradition, understood that the Gods had made their choice. He had ended up their enemy, for better or for worse. But she couldn't stop seeing the look in his eyes, the hate when she had said Stoick's name. It didn't look right, didn't _feel_ right.

"Why am I thinking so hard about this, Stormfly?" she asked with a sigh, reaching out to run her fingers under her dragon's jaw, nails scratching at the sweet spot. Stormfly trilled in concern, nuzzling her again as she clicked what sounded like a question. Astrid gave her a small smile. "I'll be okay, girl."

"Hey, Astrid!" She looked down the ramp when she heard the voice, spotting Ruffnut climbing the length with a grin on her face before she noticed the look on her fellow viking's face. She sighed when she got up to the top, looking out over the horizon. "Now I _know_ you didn't come out here for the view." Dark, angry clouds dotted the line, sure indications of Thor's wrath. She felt Ruffnut nudge her with her booted foot, one hand on her hip. "'Sup, girl?"

"Hm? Oh, hey, Ruffnut."

Ruffnut raised an eyebrow before she swung herself into a seated position next to her, reaching around Astrid to give Stormfly a pat. "I haven't seen you this thoughtful since we used to...well, you know. C'mon, what's on your mind?"

"I can't stop thinking about what happened." Astrid turned her head to look at Ruffnut before glancing back out to the island. "What kind of father would place the laws over his own son?"

"Dude, what?"

"Hiccup the Horrendous is Chief Stoick's kid, right? What kind of father does that? What must have been going through his mind back then, what must have been going through it when I told him that he was alive?"

"You ask some reaaaaaally heavy questions, girl." Ruffnut leaned back on her hands, watching down on the beach where her brother and Snotlout were horsing around while Fishlegs freaked out and tried to act as mediator. "It's not really any of our business. We don't ask how the Elder communes with the Gods, right?"

"It's not really the same thing, Ruff."

"It kinda is. If Hic shows up here, it'll be up to the chief to deal with him. That's how it goes. Snotlout might be next in line to become chief, but it's still gonna be Stoick's duty to take care of things."

"Hey, you guys!" Astrid closed her mouth from where she was about to reply when she heard Tuffnut's voice calling up from below. She looked down to see the other twin gesturing down the beach, where Snotlout and Fishlegs were running off to. "You better come see this!"

Astrid frowned before she climbed to her feet, starting to take off down the ramp, hearing Ruffnut yell out "Hey, wait up!" What on earth could the boys have found? Things didn't usually wash up on Berk, so it couldn't be anything like that. It was probably something stupid. Stormfly was already down there by the time she jumped off the final tier, feet landing in the soft sand still wet from last night's storm. It only took her a small jog to catch up to the other boys, spotting something laying haphazardly on the beach.

No, not some_thing_. Some_one_.

"What is it?"

"Don't know. Fishlegs spotted it when we were horsing around," Snotlout said with a small snort, though Astrid could tell he was equally curious, with the way his eyes shone with excitement. It wasn't very often that someone just showed up on their beach.

All of a sudden, Stormfly gave a squawk, her wings flapping as she came to a halt and her beak snagged the back of Astrid's shirt. She gave an annoyed 'hey!' when she was picked up from the ground like she was a hatchling, before she turned her head to look at where her friends were heading, recognizing the familiar shape.

Of course it was familiar - she'd spent a whole night and most of the morning on his ship.

Hiccup.


	5. Chapter 5

Hiccup frowned in a way that made it look like he was just waking up, feeling someone prod his side with a stick. "Is he dead?" he heard a boy ask, and he resisted the urge to sneer. The stick was taken away, if the lack of poking was anything to go by and he heard a familiar voice go "Get back, he's waking up!" Ah yes, the dragon conqueror. Slowly, he opened his eyes, finding her hovering over him with her axe drawn and her dragon behind her and he abruptly rolled to his feet, crouched like a wild animal as he snarled.

"This isn't Valhalla," he growled out, voice rough from the salt water he'd taken in. His upper lip curled, watching the other teenagers take some kind of stance. The big one backed away while the ugly-looking boy with the curled horn helmet - Hiccup vaguely recalled making an example out of him on the rocks - stepped to her side as did the twins. He patted himself down as though looking for a weapon but then he widened his eyes as though in realization that it was at least a foot away from him.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Astrid demanded, keeping her axe pointed at him even as he didn't appear to have any weapons on him. He was an Outcast, she wasn't going to take her chances.

He took a deep breath as though steadying his anger before he brushed sand off of himself, cracking his neck. "I was...banished from Outcast Island." At their shocked looks, he continued, waving a hand to elaborate, holding his head high before he relaxed it. "I failed my mission. My fa...Alvin did as tradition dictated. I was to travel into the Wrath of Thor so that the Gods may take me, like they failed to do years ago, but apparently Thor had other plans last night. My boat must have washed up on Berk's shores for a reason."

Hiccup watched the confusion on their faces, the twins turning to look at each other with raised eyebrows and shrugging. Astrid half lowered her axe, her brow furrowing, and it seemed as though the boy with the curled horns - Snotface or something if he remembered correctly - was just as confused as the twins. "So why don't you just sail on out and go back to the Wrath of Thor?"

"Because his boat's been torn to pieces, you idiot," Astrid said, gesturing behind him where his boat did indeed lay shattered. It was a small boat, barely enough room for one person. She raised an eyebrow at it, tilting her head, once again pointing her axe at him. "You held our village hostage. Why should we let you live?"

_Because you're too weak to kill me._ "Because I know Alvin's future plans. I know everything that he's going to do." At her incredulous expression, he sighed and rolled his eyes, using his hands to elaborate. "I could help you. I don't expect you to trust me."

"Good. Because I don't." Astrid narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips together before she retracted her axe, keeping it to her side. "But it's not up to me whether nor not you stay in Berk. That's the chief's decision."

"Oh goody."

* * *

Stoick the Vast breathed deeply, closing his eyes as he stood at the entrance to the great hall. When the kids had come up from the beach with an unknown viking at axe point, his heart had nearly leapt into his throat. All he needed to do was look at the eyes and know who it was. He ran his hand down his face, fingers dragging into wrinkles around his eyes. His son had grown into a fine warrior, albeit his still rather small stature and the vast differences between the Outcast and Hooligan ways of life.

"Odin give me strength," he whispered into his hand, letting a breath out before he squared his shoulders and turned, opening the doors to the great hall and striding into the room like the chief he should be. His brother Spitelout, Gobber, and the other warriors were gathered around the hearth that sat in the center of their hall, the ones who had fought their entire lives by his side. He held his head high as he strode to the center and circled around the outside before he came to stop near where Hiccup was standing, his arms tied behind his back with thick rope.

Hiccup raised his head, looking at him with Valhallarama's eyes that stared at him defiantly. Stoick kept his expression as neutral as he could as he let his gaze wander - over the scars that littered his face, the dragon tooth necklace, the Outcast clothing - before he cleared his throat.

"Hiccup Horrendous Hadd-"

"Actually, it's Hiccup the Horrendous."

The chief winced a little at the title, coughing into his hand as he reminded himself that the young man in front of him wasn't his son. He didn't carry his full name. "Very well then. Hiccup the Horrendous, the council has been in discussion. Your claims of another attack on Berk are serious allegations."

"But they're the truth," the boy interrupted, his voice tart with disgust as though he couldn't believe they weren't taking him seriously. "I am..._was_...Alvin's heir, second only to his lieutenant, Savage. Whatever plans he made, I was informed of them and entrusted to carry them out. Until my attempts to kidnap and retain the dragon conqueror - my apologies, _Astrid_ - were met with failure, I was trusted."

"You have no loyalty to Berk." Both father and son looked to where Spitelout had spoken up, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down his nose at the boy, brow furrowed in a scowl. "We cleaned ourselves of you days after your birth and you were raised by our enemy. How can we be sure that we should trust you?"

"Alvin is going to attack Berk three days from now." Hiccup paused, tilting his head. "I'm sorry, make that one, considering two have already passed in my travels from being tossed around in the Wrath of Thor to my landing on the shores of your village." The council of warriors started speaking in quiet, hushed tones to each other. "He prefers to attack under the cover of darkness, leading the village into a false sense of security. The weaker they are in defenses, the easier the pickings." The vikings continued to talk in low voices, much to Hiccup's irritation. Walking around Stoick, he approached the center of the bricks around the hearth, twisting his arms in a way that brought his hands around from behind his back and slamming them down, making a noise loud enough to draw attention back to him as he snarled. "Your new ways of living with the dragons have made you soft! Weak! If the way I rounded your people up within an hour is any indication, you need better defenses before tonight's moon or I swear by Odin's beard, every last one of you will fall to Alvin's axe and might!"

There was a hand on his shoulder and he stiffened before he relaxed marginally, glancing to his right to see Stoick out the corner of his eye. The firelight made it difficult to read the man's face, but he could see the grim expression clear as day. The chief glanced back down at him before letting his gaze flick away before he made eye contact, looking out over his warriors. "We will make preparations for an invasion," Stoick announced, earning a few cries of disapproval. "I'd rather take my chances. We can't be caught off guard like we were last time." He turned his head to look at Gobber. "Is our weapon's stock up to scratch?"

"I've been busy with the dragons' monthly checkup for the last couple of days, but we are good and stocked. A might better than last time, if ye'd believe."

"I should hope so. That display was absolutely pathetic," Hiccup muttered under his breath, earning himself a nudge from Stoick. He frowned darkly - it was almost as if the man believed he was going to be his son again. Gobber made a face in his direction before he smiled sweetly.

"Spitelout, start devising strategies of our defense and offense. I want each and every one of you to pay attention. If we keep being attacked like this, we'll soon gain a reputation of being the weakest clan in the Barbaric Archipelagos, and then we'll have villains on our doorstep left and right!" Stoick leaned down and pulled Hiccup's hands up by the rope around his hands, undoing his bonds. Watching the boy rub his wrists, he stared down at him. "S..._Hiccup_. For now we'll trust your word, but Astrid and the others will be keeping an eye on you."

"Fantastic. Being babysat by a bunch of teenagers." He rolled his eyes, raising a hand to rub at his shoulder where it was stiff from being in the same position for a while. He paused, looking over his shoulder at Stoick. "Alvin was going to attack from the southern shore. Just so you know."

* * *

Astrid, Fishlegs, the twins and Snotlout sat on the steps outside the great hall, a rather uncomfortable silence between the five of them. Occasionally one of them would look up at the doors, wondering what was going on inside. The council had gone in looking so serious.

"Hey, you don't think they're gonna kill him, do you?" Tuffnut asked from where he reclined back against a rock with his sister, arms crossed behind his head as he stared up at the sky. White clouds drifted overhead, thin and not quite as thick as they were with snow in the colder months.

"I heard my dad say they should be getting rid of him like they should have years ago, whatever that means. So probably." Snoutlout shrugged, idly picking at his nose.

"He was born here in Berk." Astrid's voice was soft, the sound of her sharpening her axe only heightened by the quiet that fell between the five teenagers at intervals, ignoring the way her friends looked at her. She hadn't told them what he'd told her, not yet. "You know the tradition. The runt is called a hiccup and tossed to the Gods of the seas."

Before she could continue, the doors to the great hall opened. One by one, the council members filed out, talking in hushed whispers among each other. Astrid caught Gobber grumbling under his breath about smartass kids and slid from her rock, looking up to the doors.

* * *

"Hiccup."

The Outcast turned to look over his shoulder at Stoick as the vikings filed out, waiting until the hall was completely empty bar the two of them. He watched as the man's years started catching up to him, keeping a neutral expression on his face as he watched Stoick cup his hands together, looking away for a moment before he glanced back at the boy who should have been his son. The boy he should have raised.

"I have nothing to say to the likes of you."

Stoick felt his breath catch in his throat as those words left Hiccup's mouth, dark green eyes narrowing in the firelight which seemed to flicker in them. His brow drew together, a small sigh leaving him. "Son...please, hear me out." Even as Hiccup turned away from him, Stoick continued, keeping his voice steady. "Your mother and I wanted nothing more than to keep you and raise our son."

"Then why did you follow tradition?" Hiccup's fingers flexed into fists at his side, quelling the rage that he felt as best as he could. "What kind of man thinks the laws are more important than his own son?"

"A chief." Stoick lifted a hand to rub his temples. "Hiccup, I'm not sure what kind of laws the Outcasts uphold, but things are different here on Berk. A chief is expected to uphold laws and traditions and put his village ahead of himself."

There was silence between them for a few moments before Hiccup turned his head to look over his shoulder. "If that's the case then I'm almost glad I washed up on Outcast Island. Thor knows what I would've ended up like if you had kept me."

The resounding quiet that tore through the hall as Hiccup's footsteps echoed on his way out rang in Stoick's ears, waiting until the doors closed before he leaned down onto the bricks of the hearth, hanging his head.

"I did this."


	6. Chapter 6

There was a buzz around the village as they prepared themselves for the attack, both from the flurry as the vikings went about their business and from the rumors flying around. Many were talking about the unexpected return of the chief's son, especially those who had been there during the ceremony fifteen years ago. There was talk about who would take over as successor when Stoick finally retired. Would it be Snotlout, or was Hiccup going to challenge him for the title?

It was questions like that that boiled Snotlout's blood.

He was the one who had been here since birth, the one who had been chosen to be the next chief through his relation to Stoick via his father. It really didn't help that the twins were joking about it as the trio rounded up the livestock and herded them into the barns, ready to put them into lock down if need be. Astrid and Fishlegs were discussing battle strategies in the great hall. Hiccup...well who knew where he was. Far away, Snotlout hoped.

"So, who do you think would win anyway?" Ruffnut asked as they herded the last of the livestock into the barn and closed the door behind them, looking at her brother with a raised eyebrow. At Tuffnut's expression, she continued with her train of thought. "Personally, my bet's on Hiccup. I mean he's already kicked Snotlout's butt once, it should be easy for him to do it again."

"Hmm...yeah, gonna have to go with you on that one."

"He caught me by surprise, okay?!" Snotlout ground out as he threw his hands up. Things were a little different now to when the Outcasts had first invaded Berk anyway, all things considered. The twins sniggered behind their hands at his indignation, making him scowl all the more. "Fine! I'll challenge Hiccup for the title of chief, then we'll see who's boss around here!"

"Someone's testy," Ruffnut said with a small sigh as she crossed her arms, watching the boy storm off, rolling her eyes. Boys, honestly. She didn't understand them sometimes, and her sibling was one. She looked out the corner of her eyes at him, watching him pick at an ear before they started walking in unison almost on an unspoken cue, heading over to Barf and Belch. Snotlout had already taken off on Hookfang, so there was no way they were going to catch up to him anytime soon. "So we're done here...what do you wanna do?"

Tuffnut made a thinking face before he grinned at her. "Wanna go see how many people we can make angry before nightfall?"

"I bet I can make more people angry than you."

"You're on!"

* * *

Hiccup, oblivious to his soon to be challenge for the title of chief of Berk, was busy climbing the hills around the outskirts of the village. Even though he was very much their prisoner due to being a "former" Outcast, it was still very much innocent until proven guilty. That much had been made clear to him during his "trial", if you could even call it that. Mostly it had been the council staring at him until Stoick made his decision.

Turning his head to look over his shoulder at the village below, Hiccup leaned against a cliff face, watching the vikings run around like headless chickens. Watching them scramble to put up their defenses was relishing to say the least. "How pathetic," he said to himself, sneer curling on his upper lip. He didn't want to think about what his life would have been like if he had grown up here. The vikings of Berk were hardly vikings anymore, since they surrendered their lives to the dragons. They said that they worked in harmony with them now but from his vantage point, he could hardly say that was the case. They hardly held onto any dignity.

A noise sounded behind him and the Outcast heir took hold of the ledge he was leaning against, hefting himself up before whoever was walking along the same path came upon him. He crouched, watching an old man walk past with a sheep tucked under his arm, staff in hand and muttering under his breath about dragon menaces.

Hiccup smirked to himself, watching the elder walk underneath him and towards the town, leaning back from where he was pressing himself against his knee and slipping his knife back into his boot, back into its hidden compartment. "So it seems like not all who live here in Berk are happy with the way things turned out," he murmured, teeth splitting his lips as his smirk widened into a grin before he started following. Things just got interesting.

* * *

Languidly making his way back into town, Hiccup began to overhear the crowd that had gathered outside the food storage building, at which the old man seemed to be at the head. He raised his eyebrow, listening closely. The Outcasts were coming tonight, the silly people couldn't begin to be falling apart now, could they? He ignored the looks he got when he stood at the back of the crowd, arms crossed over his chest. The old man - Mildew apparently - was complaining about a rogue dragon and Hiccup's eyes lit up.

"If that blasted Night Fury does any more damage to me crops, I'll be taking matters into me own hands!"

"Now, Mildew, you know as well as I do that we don't do things that way anymore." Stoick was too busy concentrating on settling the matter at hand to worry that his estranged son was in the crowd, and he raised a hand to his temples before he sighed into the palm. "I'll have the kids take care of it after the Outcasts are taken care of."

"Oh sure, leave everything to a bunch of iteenagers/i. Why back in my day, we..."

"I'll take care of it." That caused a hushed whisper to fall over the crowd and Astrid frowned in his direction where she stood near the small set of stairs leading to the food storage, her hand resting on Stormfly's neck. Mildew gave him almost the exact same expression, though with a bit more curiosity than he probably should have. Stoick refused to meet his gaze. Hiccup shrugged, placing a hand on his hip. "You need every able hand you can get tonight, believe me. If this Night Fury attacks while the Outcasts are, you won't stand a chance. While you've been reveling in your little peace treaty, my skills are up to scratch."

"This isn't Outcast Island," Astrid spoke up amidst the murmurs of agreement that seemed to be in Hiccup's favor. She tilted her head, looking down at him with a cock of her hip and mimicking his pose. "We treat dragons with respect here."

"Obviously the Night Fury missed the memo," he drawled, eyebrow raised, but he didn't move from his spot. "But...I suppose I could do things your way. All I need to do is take the Night Fury down and take him back to your arena, right?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Fishlegs spoke up, crossing his arms behind his back nervously when he realized everyone was looking at him. "W-well technically speaking, we have no idea what a Night Fury is capable of, or looks like. Nobody's seen one in recorded history aside from some glimpses in the dark. It strikes and then leaves. It has a specific target every time, and now that the raids have stopped it seems like it's just as directionless as the others used to be before we gave them new purposes." He drew his hands around and twiddled his fingers together. "M-maybe if we managed to catch and train it..." He quieted under the look Astrid was sending him with a small noise, sliding closer to his Gronckle.

Stoick looked at the boy before he pinched the bridge of his nose, brows drawing together as he spoke, shoulders deflating. "Very well. Mildew, you'll take Hiccup to where you last saw the Night Fury, where you'll wait until nightfall. Astrid, I want you to teach him what he's going to need to do. The rest of us will continue with preparations for the invasion."

Murmurs rose up from the crowd before Hiccup overheard Gobber's not so whisper of "Now that's killing two birds with one stone." The boy crossed his arms and held out one hand. "I'll need my axe."

"You're not killing the Night Fury. You're containing it," Astrid quipped as she came closer, her own arms crossed and Stormfly close behind her. Mildew made an uncomfortable noise before he slipped behind Hiccup, looking as skittish as a newborn kitten. He looked out the corner of his eye at the older man before turning his attention back to the viking girl, head tilted coquettishly as she continued. "Like Fishlegs said, it's unpredictable."

"That's every reason why I'm the best man for the job." He grinned viciously, watching her frown deepen and her dragon growl. "What's the matter, _princess_?" he purred, leaning forward. "Don't trust me?"

"You know very well that I..."

"Hiccup." Stoick's voice made him lean away, looking at the chief of Berk with a scowl. "I will let you have your axe back. On the condition that I don't see Night Fury blood in my arena."

"Bah. A little blood spill never hurt anyone." Mildew rolled his eyes, leaning heavily against his stick. "Besides that, the boy will need a weapon anyway. Unlike your little house pets, this one's as nasty as they come. Ate me entire cabbage crop in one night it did! No to mention knocked hole into me roof!"

"_No_ blood. And that's final. Gobber." The blacksmith ambled over from where he was talking to another amputee, bushy blonde eyebrow raised. "Get Hiccup's axe from the armory."

With a nod, Gobber made to move past Hiccup, patting him on the shoulder bare from its usual armor guards and gesturing for the trio to follow him. "Ye've taken good care o' that beauty. Never really had a good chance to study Outcast weapons before..."

Watching them walk off, Stoick shook his head as his old friend chatted aimiably even as Hiccup only gave him silence. For a moment he almost wished that he could see what Hiccup would have looked like if he and Val had defied tradition and kept him, but then he shook himself out of his reverie and continued on making preparations.

There was no use dwelling on the past.


	7. Chapter 7

"I don't see how this is going to work when your dragon seems to trust me even less than what you do," Hiccup said as they entered the arena. The comfortable weight of his axe rested in the middle of his back, placed away as promised when Stormfly seemed to have a negative reaction to it. Indeed, Stormfly seemed to be giving him the evil eye from behind her rider as Astrid came to stand in the middle of the rink, hands on her hips as she waited for him to catch up.

"That's because trust is an important thing to dragons," the viking girl said, lifting a hand to brush some hair away from her face. "Stormfly trusts nobody but me, and it's rare that she'll even let someone else onto her back. Luckily for you, there's plenty of dragons around here that are riderless."

There certainly seemed to be plenty of Terrible Terrors slipping through the bars around the arena that used to make sure dragons didn't get out. Hiccup watched a tiny green one scramble up and along one of the bars, its claws clinging to the metal before he lowered his gaze to the dragon conqueror. "Pity for them I'm only interested in one dragon."

Astrid's brow drew together before she raised an eyebrow. "If you're thinking about training that Night Fury, you better have your wits about you. From what we've seen of it, it trusts humans even less than it trusts other dragons. It's been on its own for so long that it will probably attack first before you can even knock it down enough to catch it."

"A second's all the time I need." He waved a hand nonchalantly, grinning wickedly. "How else do you think I got the dragon teeth around my neck?"

She made a face of disgust before she walked over to one of the cells, pulling the lever to open it. Something in the cell moved its head back, and it took Hiccup a moment to realize it was another Deadly Nadder, green in colour. It seemed a bit skittish but Astrid held her hand out palm first, her expression turning soft. "Shhh, it's okay, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you." As Stormfly squawked her affirmation for the other Nadder, Astrid turned her attention back to Hiccup. "This one was found injured in the woods. Usually we'd leave her to heal naturally but she was being chased around by boars and dire wolves."

"And thus the hunter became the hunted," Hiccup drawled, watching curiously as the Nadder pressed her muzzle hesitantly to Astrid's hand. So that was how they tamed them.

Astrid rolled her eyes at his statement. "Actually, dragons only eat fish. Most species won't eat eel though for some reason. We found that out after Stormfly and I took care of the queen. They had no reason to attack our livestock anymore." Shifting a little, she held her hand out, gesturing for him to come closer, which he did after a moment's hesitation. She wrapped her hand around his wrist once he was close enough for her to grab it, pulling him over a bit more. The Nadder watched, its tail moving around and Hiccup subconsciously held his breath as his hand replaced Astrid's on its muzzle.

He'd never felt dragon skin when it was breathing before, always only after it was dead and unmoving. The scales underneath his fingers seemed to ripple as the Nadder matched her breathing to his, looking up at him with interested but suspicious golden eyes. Astrid moved her hand away from his wrist but he didn't feel it, instead looking down at the Nadder.

"The last time I was this close to a Nadder was when I was eight." He was talking before he realized it, voice unnaturally soft as Astrid looked at him, carefully watching for any sudden movement from the dragon. "It nearly took my head off with its tail spikes. I earned my name from the way I killed it."

"How did you kill it?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper. She shouldn't be asking such a thing, but she was genuinely curious.

"Slit its throat, down to the stomach where I spilled its guts. Not before I hacked off its wings and dug its spikes out from its tail, ripped my axe under the flesh where they grew so that they wouldn't grow back." At the sick expression on her face, he turned his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow in a 'you wanted to know' look. " 'A downed dragon is a dead dragon'. Once it lost its wings and spikes, it was defenseless. It left me with this." He used his free hand to point to the scar curved under his chin and up his right cheek. "So don't feel bad for it."

The Nadder nudged under his arm and drew itself up, seeking more attention and making him stumble back a bit, the peace broken as he nearly went for his axe before Astrid stopped his other hand. "She just wants attention," she snapped, and he lowered his hand from where it had been halfway to his back. He was so skittish around dragons without something sharp in his hand, she realized as she moved to show him where a Nadder's sweet spot was, moving his hand from the muzzle to where her own was and showing him how to move it. The Nadder trilled in response, eyes fluttering closed as she rubbed her head against his fingers.

He gave a small snort as the Nadder nuzzled into his hand, continuing to scratch its scales as Astrid pulled her hand away again. "I was killing a Nadder naught but last week. Now look at me."

"I guess things on Berk and things on Outcast Island are vastly different. Maybe more than what I imagined," she said, hearing a purr start to rumble in the dragon's throat.

"You have no idea. Back home..." He frowned. "Er, on Outcast Island, the only reason you'd be in the kill ring is if you were having your exam, or you were being fed to the dragons for treason against the chief. Or for his amusement, whichever suited him at the time."

Astrid pursed her lips together upon hearing that. "Sounds like banishment was mild compared to what he could have put you through."

"He knows I can handle myself against dragons. Fath..._Alvin_ would've found more amusement in watching me drift out to sea than watching me kill his captive dragons." The Nadder startled him all of a sudden when it pushed against him, nuzzling his chest, but the alarm quickly dissipated from his face. "It's not the first time I've been banished or disowned anyway."

She opened her mouth to speak before the Nadder gave a squawk, its wings spreading out from her sides before she drew them back in, and she clapped her hands softly so not to startle the dragon. "Looks like she's ready to let you onto her back! Stormfly usually does that to me when she wants to go flying. Guess it must be a universal Nadder thing." She gave a bit of a nervous chuckle before she started maneuvering Hiccup with a bit of protest from the Outcast. The Nadder leaned the top half of its body down, tilting its head with a small trill, the boy giving it a look before he reluctantly got onto the dragon's back with a fluid movement Astrid hadn't seen in many of her friends. She moved back over to Stormfly, shifting her foot into the stirrup and hefting herself on as Hiccup's Nadder wavered back and forth on its legs, talons digging into the stone floor of the arena.

In his head, Hiccup was reeling back a bit in disgust as his fingers dug into the Nadder's green scales, keeping his expression schooled as well as he could. Here he was, the first Outcast on a dragon. If his father could just see him now...

"What're you gonna name her?"

The question snapped him out of his reverie, looking at Astrid as she sidled Stormfly up next to them. At the look she got, she gave a shrug. "Giving a dragon a name is an important decision, and a sign of trust. If she answers to it, then she'll be loyal to you."

A dragon, loyal to him? He tilted his head, looking down at the Nadder where she turned her head to look up at him with curious golden eyes. "Fenrir," he decided, leaning down to knead the spot between her wings with deft fingers.

"As in Fenrir, one of Loki's children? The giant wolf that will eat the moon to herald the beginning of Ragnarok?"

"You don't have to put it like that, princess. Besides, she seems to like it, don't you, Fenrir?" Perhaps it was a bit of a hint to his plans, but he didn't expect her to catch onto it as he ran his fingers along the Nadder's neck, earning a trill in response. Hiccup sat back up, looking at her to catch a glimpse of acknowledgement but he was met with blankness as she shrugged. A name was a name she guessed.

"Ready for your first flight?"

"There you are!" He was about to respond before Hookfang and Snotlout came crashing into the arena, the Monstrous Nightmare coming to a screeching halt dead center of the floor with his rider practically clinging to his neck with a shrill scream. Fenrir reared back, her wings spreading as she skittered back with Hiccup on her, the movement causing him to nearly fall off had he not grabbed onto her wings. Astrid gave a long-suffering sigh as she pinched her nose, rolling her eyes.

"What _now_, Snotlout?"

The viking boy picked himself up and dusted himself off, giving his dragon a scowl who gave him a look in response that was just like 'what're you going to do about it?' before he turned his attention back to them. Or, more specifically, to Hiccup. _Oh no_, Astrid thought to herself with a roll of her eyes. She knew that look on Snotlout's face.

"I challenge you, Hiccup, to a duel to decide who will take over Berk as chief!"

Hiccup blinked a little before he burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking with mirth. It wasn't the same wicked laughter that Astrid had heard back at the rocks during the Outcasts's last invasion of the island, instead it sounded almost...boyish. Like he genuinely found that hilarious. Of course, that didn't sit well with Snotlout. It just made him angrier.

"What're you laughing at? I'm serious here? You, me, here now. I'll kick your butt!"

"No offense, Snotlout." Hiccup sniggered behind his hand before he leaned forward on Fenrir's neck, leaning against her languidly. "But last time you challenged me as you so eloquently put it, all I needed to do was kick your legs out from under you and you wet yourself like a newborn child." Snotlout's face reddened at that, remembering his humiliation. "Besides, I'm not interested in becoming chief." _Not in your conventional way, at least._ At the confused look on the other boy's face, he sighed. "In case you haven't noticed, I have not and will never forgive Stoick for what happened fifteen years ago, and I have no intention of taking back the title of heir of Berk." _With you in charge, their defenses will be so pathetic it'll be laughable. More than it is right now._

"Snotlout, whatever you've been hearing is just hearsay," Astrid finally said when it didn't seem to be getting through to him. "We might not be notorious gossipers like the Bog Burglars, but that's all it is."

"Oh." Snotlout shuffled his feet a little awkwardly as it dawned on him that maybe he was overreacting. He reached up to scratch the back of his neck before he realized something, looking at his cousin and pointing. "Hey! You're on the back of a dragon!" He paused, looking at Astrid. "Why is he on the back of a dragon?"

"Hiccup decided to put his hand up to take care of our Night Fury problem. Stoick thought he might need to learn how to handle one in a way that didn't involve killing it," she explained, glancing over at the outcast, her brow furrowing together. What he'd told her about his dragon exam still bugged her, and it probably wouldn't stop until she asked him about it, but for now she shook it off, raising an eyebrow at Snotlout. "We were just about to go for his first flight. Want to demonstrate?"

Hiccup watched the other boy's eyes light up at the chance to show off, looking at her with a bit of a smirk as Snotlout wandered back over to where Hookfang was resting on the arena floor. "He's a bit eager to please, isn't he?" he asked in a tone of voice low enough for her to hear, to which she looked at him with a shrug.

"He's been hitting on me since hormones kicked in," she explained in an equally hushed voice. "Any chance to impress me must be taken seriously." At the roll of her eyes, he chuckled. "Watch, they'll fail spectacularly."

"At least I'll have a demonstration of what not to do." As a smile curled on Astrid's mouth at that as she watched Snotlout wake Hookfang from his dozing only to get a roar as the Nightmare burst into flames that sent the other boy running for the nearby water pitcher, Hiccup felt something stir in his stomach. Something that almost made him feel sick but at the same time not.

* * *

**Author's notes:** before I get flames for giving Hiccup a different dragon to start with, let's think about three things

1. He has no idea how to train them. He needs to learn how to do this before he has any hope of taming and training Toothless.

2. Astrid's more knowledgeable about Nadders than any other type of dragon. If you look at it from a specialist perspective, the kids are all experts on their dragons and their kinds. Snotlout knows how to calm Hookfang down and Astrid used it in _Heather Report part II_ to her advantage, so it seems to work for all Nightmares. Universal things like this seem to be a thing among dragonkind. No doubt there's things about Barf and Belch that we don't know, and more about Meatlug other than limestone upsets her stomach.

3. Fenrir is named so for two reasons - Fenrir was the giant wolf of Norse mythology who would swallow the moon at the beginning of Ragnarok and was born from Loki, the God of mischief and lies. Hiccup is giving Astrid a hint to his motives here, with himself playing the part of Loki and the moon is an analogy of Astrid. Indicating swallowing her up in his lies.

thanks for reading :)


	8. Chapter 8

Hiccup would never say it out loud, but the view from Fenrir's back was simply amazing.

Once they had assured Snotlout that his help had been plenty, it was just Hiccup and Astrid on their Nadders, high above Berk in the air. Fenrir cooed softly underneath him as she glided through the clouds, her wings flapping every now and then to give herself a burst of speed. Stormfly seemed to be trilling instructions to the other dragon, which Astrid said meant that Fenrir was a young dam. Older females would often coach the younger ones into how to behave around humans, it seemed.

For a moment, Hiccup forgot about his infiltration mission. The sensation of being this high up in the air, so far from civilization, made him forget about his life up until now. Up here, he was just Hiccup. Just a boy who had been put through too many hardships in such a short time.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Astrid's voice broke him out of his reverie and he looked to the side where she was gliding along beside him on Stormfly. She gave him a knowing look, even as he scrambled to gather his dignity again before she smiled slightly. "Once you get up here, it's like all your worries just vanish." As she paused, she leaned down, running her fingers along Stormfly's neck before she glanced at him again, giving him a critical eye. It was clear that she still didn't trust him, and he was sure she'd find every reason not to at some point in the next twenty four hours.

"I've never thought of dragons as living creatures before," he said smply, looking up at the misty clouds hanging around the area. The afternoon sun beat down on them, enveloping them in a blanket of warmth. Time to play the sympathy card. Hiccup brushed shaggy reddish-brown hair away from his face when the wind whipped it in his line of sight, placing his free hand over the dip in Fenrir's neck. "On Outcast Island, you learn at a young age that it's kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest. Dragons are just monsters, just a stepping stone towards your own survival. They don't have feelings, or loyalty. Just enough meat to get by for another week and a new trophy head to complete the set."

"You guys ate dragon meat?" Astrid wrinkled her nose, looking just as horrified at the prospect as she had on the boat when he'd commanded a warrior to drag their own down to sit in salt water.

"We had little food. Crops don't grow well on Outcast Island and nobody has the patience for bread. There's a reason why we're cannibals, and it's not by choice." Okay, so maybe that part was a lie. Hiccup had been eating human flesh since he was a boy without kicking up a fuss, but she needn't know that. He shrugged. "Waste not, want not. It's only going to go to waste if nothing is done with it."

She raised an eyebrow, looking as though she was curious but afraid to ask, so he left it alone. He seemed to be dodging everything but the right answer, and it frustrated her. Astrid was quiet for a few minutes as they started their descend to the ground, coming in to view of Berk. "What are you going to do about the Night Fury?"

"I won't kill it, if that's what you're thinking." Hiccup's upper lip curled into a slight sneer before he turned his head away so that she couldn't see his face, forcing his cheeks to turn red as though he was embarrassed. "You've taught me more about dragons in these last few hours than I ever knew before." _Including how to train them, my gullible little princess_. "More than I could have dreamed."

"You never bothered learning beyond 'kill on sight', huh?" she asked as the two Nadders gently lowered themselves to the ground. People gave them a wide birth around the landing area, and the two riders slid from the dragons' backs. It looked like they were done setting their defenses up for the invasion, if the catapults situated at the front of the village near the ramp down to the beach were any indication. Hiccup turned his head to look at them before he glanced back at Astrid with a raised eyebrow.

"Not until now, no." He placed his hand on Fenrir's neck, looking up at her as she nuzzled his hand affectionately. His stomach churned, but he attempted to make the look on his face seem more like something else other than disgust. "I never had a reason to." He looked back at the sun, as though determining the time before he turned to get back up on Fenrir. "I'd better start setting my traps if I want to catch that Night Fury."

Her brow drew together. "Do you want any help?"

Hiccup opened his mouth to reply before he heard someone call her name, looking in the direction of the voice to see Fishlegs, who cringed a little when he looked at him. "You'll only slow me down. Besides, it looks as though you're needed elsewhere, princess."

Astrid screwed her face up at the nickname, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you have to call me that?"

"It annoys you, doesn't it?" She didn't get a chance to reply before he was on Fenrir's back again and rising her into the air. He smirked down at her, tilting his head before he turned Fenrir in the direction of the western coast.

"Wow, he's already such a natural." Astrid turned her attention to Fishlegs as he came up beside her now that the outcast was gone, shielding his face from the sun before he glanced at her out the corner of his eye. "You sure it was a good idea to teach him how to train dragons?"

"I can't exactly refuse the chief's orders," she said, letting her arms fall from their position. She gave a small sigh, fighting down the pity she was feeling for him as she turned to face Fishlegs directly. He was looking at her a little incredulously, which made her tilt her head. "What?"

"Uh, Astrid? Your face is red."

"It is not!"

* * *

From the air, everything looked so small. Every person and animal on the Island of Berk looked as insignificant as they were and Hiccup straightened his shoulders proudly, sneering at himself as he rode Fenrir to the Western side of the island. Playing the sympathy card left him feeling disgusted with himself, but the further and further Astrid fell for it, the further and further his plan would come to fruition. It had only taken him less than a day to worm his way into their society. Astrid was still weary of him, but he could work on that, if the way he'd left her blushing was any indication. Stoick was an utter mess. Snotlout was a complete moron.

"I'll have to remember to thank Mildew later for that easy way in," he said to himself, chuckling darkly. Fenrir trilled and he ran a hand over her neck to soothe her. "Never you mind, dragon. Now, I have a report to take to my father." With a small but still slightly hard nudge to her sides, he started veering her off in the direction where he could see a light being shone along the rocks towards the West, reflecting the rays of the afternoon sun.

He slowed their descent once they started approaching the boats hiding behind the shadows of the rocky outcrops, whistling a call that told Alvin it was him. Once the Outcast's crossbows were lowered, he landed Fenrir on the deck of his father's boat, sliding down from her back and placing a hand on his hip, the other resting on her neck.

When Alvin saw his son dismount the green Deadly Nadder, he grinned viciously, shoulders shaking before he erupted into full blown laughter. At the tone, Hiccup forced himself not to beam with pride - he was pleased. "Well done, son, well done. Now that's a Treacherous for you, lads. You could learn a lesson or two from my boy." He gestured to Fenrir, placing his hands on his hips as he leaned towards the slighter viking. "How did you do it, boy?"

"You wouldn't believe how gullible Berk's people are, father." He rolled his eyes a little in exasperation, feeling Fenrir nudge her muzzle against his shoulder and lowered his hand to her sweet spot, scratching there absentmindedly as the other Outcasts watched on in awe. "I almost feel like I lost a bit of intelligence just from being around them since morning." At Alvin's chuckle, he grinned. "Feed them a little sob story and they soften up like mud."

"Good, good. They don't suspect anything?"

"Not a thing, father." His mouth stretched wider, baring his teeth. "I have an annoying little viking princess on my case, but she's...otherwise indisposed for the moment." He tilted his head to look out the corner of his eye at the Nadder, watching her wings stretch before they folded back in, his upper lip curling into a sneer. "I need to gain her trust before I can call my mission complete. I want to watch her crumble when she learns of my treachery."

Alvin stroked his beard, raising an eyebrow. "What are you thinking, boy?"

"They have me dealing with a little Night Fury problem tonight. I figure once I have the Night Fury secure, I'll make my way back to the village and make it look like I'm going to help out. Separate her from her dragon, she's nothing but a little girl."

"And then what? You'll swoop in and rescue her like her knight in shining armor?"

Hiccup made a face at the tone of Alvin's voice during that sentence, crossing his arms over his chest and fighting down the embarrassed flush from his ears. "Father, please, it's not like that," he grumbled out before he shook his head. "In any case, I'll have her trust, but you must withdraw from Berk for it to have any effect. Then in about two or three weeks, I'll make like I have unfinished business on Outcast Island. I'll lure her back there, we'll make it seem like I've been attacked." He smirked. "And then I'll break the news to her. And we'll have our very own dragon conqueror."

Alvin chuckled at that, placing a hand on his hip as he used the other to ruffle his son's unruly hair. "How you come up with these fiendishly clever plans, I have no idea, Hiccup. Very well. You take care of their little Night Fury problem and I'll inform the men about the change of plans. The next time I see you I expect a broken but pliable dragon conqueror that's mine to command."

"Oh you will, father." _Only you're mistaken on one account. She'll be **mine** to command._

* * *

As night began to fall around Berk, the air in the village was tense. The dusky orange skies slowly slipped away into pure black darkness, punctuated only by stars. Not a torch was lit, nor did anyone make a sound. If anybody had thought differently, they would have said that the vikings had turned in early.

Until the first attack happened at least.

_Well at least we know Hiccup wasn't lying when he said they were coming from the South side_, Stoick thought to himself as he ordered the counter attack. Stones flew through the air via catapults, the sound of Berk and Outcast war cries calling up from all around him before the clash of metal rang through his ears. With the children and their mothers safely in the great hall and away from the excitement, it was a free for all brawl, the darkness making it hard to see who was friend and who was foe.

Berkians worked together. That was the key difference to the invading Outcasts. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Bucket and Mulch trade places to deal with the other's opponent, and nearby Gobber switched his mallet hand for his axe hand, clashing with the opposing viking's weapon before body checking him. Sven got the drop on another Outcast, but it was the kids he was watching out for.

Overhead, Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare flared up, arching up before it dived down with the boy on its back, loud screeching that once heralded the beginning of a raid now a noise that the vikings welcomed. The twins and their Zippleback weren't far behind, green gas fire exploding on impact with its ingition spark. Stoick raised an eyebow as he silently hoped that no Berk viking was caught up in that before he threw his fist into the face of one approaching him from behind, whirling around on the ball of his foot and using the momentum to catch him off guard.

If it wasn't for Hiccup's warning, they would have been terribly unprepared, Stoick realized as the Ingerman boy's Gronckle unleashed three or four flaming stones of fire down at the ships on the south side, just a small speck in Stoick's view.

Wait...one, two, three four...

_Where's Astrid?_ He wasn't too worried about his s...about Hiccup, considering he was meant to be off taking care of the Night Fury, but when his eyes couldn't catch sight of the Hofferson's girl, he slammed the butt of his sword into his opponent, scanning the skies for a Deadly Nadder before he was forced to bring the blade up and block the other's weapon. An explosion behind him caught Stoick's attention and he knocked the Outcast's weapon out of their hands before he looked over his shoulder, watching with a small relief as Stormfly came flapping through the air, but the alarm on the Nadder's face was unmistakable.

Astrid was in trouble.

* * *

"Let. me. _go_!" Astrid scrambled to get away from the large hands that grabbed her, whipping around to throw them off with all her might before one took hold of her hair and pulled _hard_. She gritted her teeth against a whimper that threatened to rise in her throat, glaring over her shoulder at Alvin who merely laughed as though she was the most hilarious thing in the world.

"I'm afraid not. You're coming back to Outcast Island with me, lass, and I won't be taking no for an answer. You're going to train dragons for me until every last beat of your little heart is pumped out from your body."

She was about to respond with as much sarcasm as she could muster over the sound of her heart thumping rapidly in her chest. Stormfly had gone to get help when she'd ordered her to - hopefully nobody else was preoccupied enough. She could take care of herself but just this once, she needed help. Astrid opened her mouth...

Only to be blown back and out of Alvin's hand with the force of an explosion behind him, his sword that had been held up to the back of her head cutting through her braid and helping her escape. Briefly she mourned the loss of her hair before she turned around, watching with a bit of shock on her face as Hiccup floated in place on Fenrir's back, face set into a deep scowl that made the skin around his scars crinkle.

"So this is what you've been reduced to, eh, boy?" Alvin questioned, picking himself up from the ground as his son slid from the back of his Nadder, landing on the ground in front of him. "And here I was expecting Thor to take me offering."

"Apparently babies are more to Thor's liking," Hiccup quipped, pulling his axe from its place on his back. He looked out the corner of his eye at Astrid where she was watching the exchange with a bit of puzzlement before she hurriedly picked up her own axe where it had been separated from her. "You okay, princess?"

"Yeah. The Night Fury?"

"Taken care of. It won't be escaping any time soon with one of its tail fins missing." At the look on her face, he waved a hand. "I'll explain later." He returned his attention to Alvin, green eyes dark as his Nadder shrieked behind him. "Right now, we've got bigger things to take care of."

"Oh you'll take care of me, will you, boy?" the Outcast chief sneered, rolling his shoulders with a crick to his neck. "You could barely handle me after your little failure."

"That's behind me. I have things..._people_ I want to protect now." Hiccup lowered his center of gravity, paying attention out the corner of his eye to the disbelief on Astrid's face. "Make your move, old man."

They stood off for a long few minutes, neither making a move before the sound of Savage's voice calling for a fall back rang through the air. Alvin snapped his head in the direction of his lieutenant's voice before he turned his attention towards the two teenagers, reaching to grab the front of Hiccup's shirt with a giant fist. "You've been granted an extended life, boy. Use it well."

With that said, he shoved Hiccup away and disappeared into the darkness. There was silence in the air only punctuated by the cries of the retreating Outcasts, and Hiccup rubbed the front of his chest where his father's fist had hit him. He was about to turn towards Astrid before he was hit in the shoulder with a smaller fist, but nonetheless almost as much of an impact. He scowled, rubbing his arm as he looked at her. "What was that for?"

"_That_ was for saving me."

"You sure have a funny way of showing gratitude, princess."


	9. Chapter 9

Sunlight shone through the canopy of trees hanging around the cove, heralding the arrival of morning. Birds chirped and chittered from their positions on the branches before they flew off, soaring high into the sky with a flutter of wings. A growl of frustration left the Night Fury as he watched, tail swishing behind him as he leaned up on his forepaws against the stony cliff face and let out a roar that shook the forest surrounding him. The pain in his tail had long since dulled to a throb and he turned his head to look mournfully at it, remaining tail fin expanding before it drew back in.

He thumped his forepaws back onto the ground with a dull thud, kneading the soft earth beneath them before he took off into a bound across the small canyon, wings opening at a particularly high leap before he came crashing down into the pond of rain water at the center, water flipping up and along his scales.

Hiccup watched the dragon shake himself down from his vantage point on the rocks overlooking the dip in the earth, watching him try again and again to get off the ground but to no avail. He leaned his head against his hand, smirking slightly as he drew a knee up, resting his elbow on it. Waiting for the dragon to wear itself out let him study its movements, watching the way it called out in distress but failed to succumb to its fate. Honestly he felt a little satisfied watching it suffer.

It had been four days now since the Outcast 'invasion'. Rescuing their dragon princess and helping to rebuild parts of the community that had been destroyed during the attack had garnered him at least some acceptance among the villagers of Berk. Many of the adults still eyed him suspiciously, those who had known Alvin long enough most likely. He heard the phrase 'like father like son' tossed around a bit, and he knew that they weren't referring to Stoick. The twins were weirdly fascinated with him, nagging him at any time they could to get him to cause some kind of destruction with them. The large boy - Fishlegs, he'd learned - seemed skittish around him, like he was nervous but didn't want to show it. Unfortunately for the poor boy it showed. Snotlout still saw him as a challenger for the title of chief despite his insistence that he wasn't after the title.

Astrid didn't seem to be any closer to trusting him as she was two days ago. Hiccup gave a small sigh of annoyance as he slid from his rock, running a hand through shaggy hair. He needed to gain her trust before his three week time limit was up, and he hardly saw how he was going to achieve anything when she insisted on being stubborn as a mule. Tucking away a small notebook into the vest that he'd bartered for, he started to head back towards the village, lips pursed together in thought and a scowl on his face as he trudged through the thick underbrush, the Night Fury's cries of frustration matching what he felt inside.

If only things were as easy as writing 'this is a trap, please fall for it' in big letters on the doors of the great hall.

* * *

Astrid brushed a hand through the hair at the back of her neck, using the blade of her axe to determine if the length was good enough. Short hair felt weird, the lack of the heavy braid against her back even weirder. She looked out the corner of her eye as Ruffnut finished braiding the long piece of hair that hung to the left side of her face, the girl pulling the band from her mouth and using it to tie the loose bit at the end before she batted it with a grin.

"How does it look?"

"You look weird with short hair," Ruffnut replied after a hum, tilting her head as she circled her fellow viking. She leaned down, placing her hands on her knees and leaning in close to look at it, causing Astrid to lean away. The other girl grinned, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest. "I like it." Her grin spread. "I'm sure Hiccup will like it too."

Astrid gave a small splutter at the notion, her face turning red before she slipped her axe back into the holster around her belt, ducking her face away. "Y-yeah? Well who cares what that jerk thinks."

"You think he likes short-haired girls? Because I was thinking about getting my hair cut too..." Ruffnut reached up to pull some of her long hair over her shoulder, running her fingers through it.

"You look better with long hair, Ruff," Astrid replied as she stood from her seat, fingering the new smaller braid before tucking it behind her ear. "Besides, you should cut your hair when you want to, not for a stupid boy."

Ruffnut tilted her head in thought before giving a shrug, pushing her hair back over her shoulder. "Mmm...I guess you're right. I think Tuffnut would have an aneurism thingie anyway." She grinned as though she had a bright idea before Astrid hit her in the arm, making her wince and rub it. "iOwwww/i! I thought that was yours and Hiccup's thing. I hope this doesn't mean you like me. But I could totally get into that if you did."

"Oh Odin, Ruffnut, just _shut up_." The dragon conqueror buried her face into her hands, giving a groan of frustration before her friend gave a laugh. It was downtimes like this that reminded Astrid that they were still girls, still two teenage girls rather than vikings or warriors. In a few years they'd be ready for marriage, ready to settle down in all the traditional ways. She felt a hand on her shoulder and raised her head slightly to see Ruffnut looking at her with a bit of concern.

"You okay?"

"Yes...no...for Thor's sake I don't know." Ruffnut gave her a look that told her to go on and Astrid pulled her axe from her holster, feeling the comfortable weight in her hand before she swung it into the air, giving a couple of practice swings. "I don't know what to make of him. I don't know when he's being sincere or whether he's lying or if...ianything/i! He calls me princess because it annoys me and I catch him ilooking/i at me like...like he's studying me or something..." She ran a hand through her hair before she turned to her friend. "He makes me want to scream up at Valhalla in frustration. How do you and Tuffnut trust him so easily?"

She gave a shrug, crossing her arms behind her head as she raised one foot into the air, swinging it before she stepped forward, balancing on her other. "We just don't really care much, that's all." At Astrid's questioning look, she turned around to face her, holding a finger up. "Think of it like...giving him a second chance. We don't know if he will betray us but at the very least we can give him the benefit of a doubt up until that time. Who knows? We might change his mind." Ruffnut shrugged. "All I know is, treating him like a villain isn't going to make it any better."

Astrid frowned at that, watching Ruffnut turn on her heel and begin walking back to the village. She was right, she guessed. She was still wary of him but even that seemed to be counterproductive. He wouldn't lead her to where he had the Night Fury down, no matter how she asked him. "Think of it this way." Ruffnut turned around from where she had walked away a bit, looking back at her friend. Astrid raised an eyebrow, watching her. "Think of Hiccup like...a dragon. Now, he's been through some things in the last few days that might make him wary of trusting us just as much as we're wary of trusting him. He's only going to return that trust if we start trusting him and let him in instead of treating him like an outcast."

She noticed the way Ruffnut didn't say that last word like he was the heir to the Outcast tribe anymore, and she realized she was right. Hiccup iwas/i like a dragon in that way. He had some trust issues they needed to work around before they could work together. She nodded, tilting her head. "That...strangely makes sense. You're weirdly worldly today, Ruff."

Ruffnut tilted her head from where she was doing a handstand, looking at Astrid through a thin veil of hair. "Hey, no problem. Just be glad you didn't go to Tuffnut for romantic advice. He screws his face up and makes this sound like he's going to throw up."

Her response was punctuated by a boot connecting to the middle of her back, causing her to fall as Astrid stormed off. Ruffnut shook her head as she picked herself up onto her knees, grinning from ear to ear before she cupped her hands around her mouth to yell out "Well he does!"

* * *

"Just the man I wanted to see."

Mildew looked up from where he was raking the ground to get it ready for a new crop of cabbages, squinting against the sunlight to see Hiccup standing at the edge of the field. Fungus let out a bleating noise, eyeing the Outcast with a beady gaze almost the same as the one his owner was giving him. Glancing down at his sheep, the old man leaned against his rake. "Oh, look at this, Fungus, we have a visitor."

Hiccup raised his eyebrow slightly before he shrugged it off. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest, taking a couple of steps closer. He was gambling quite a bit with this roll of the dice, but if things played to his hand, he could quite possibly gain an ally. "I see you've rested well enough since I took care of your little Night Fury problem."

Mildew shrugged, inclining his head in a way that said maybe he did or maybe he didn't. "If you're here for payment of some sort, I'm afraid I don't have any. I'm just an old man, you see."

"An old man with a grudge against dragons." Hiccup watched the way Mildew's stance changed, from standoffish to even more so. He tilted his head, remembering Tuffnut telling him about the fake Zippleback feet and Nightmare claw. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, shaking his head. "I'm not here to threaten anything from you, nor am I here on behalf of the little dragon princess. Rather, I see we have a bit of an...ah...kindred spirit in each other."

"How'dyou figure that?"

"You want to drive the dragons away from Berk." Hiccup tucked his arms behind his back as he drew closer, starting to circle around the old viking and his sheep. "You want them gone, be they exterminated or otherwise." He came to stop in front of Mildew, squaring his shoulders as he examined the look on his wrinkled old face. "I want the same thing, but for an entirely different reason."

Mildew pursed his lips together and ground down on his teeth before the boy's intentions dawned on him, his eyes widening slightly and bushy grey eyebrows drawing up. "You're still working under Alvin, aren't you, boy?"

"Give the man a medal, he has more brains than the whole of Berk combined," the Outcast heir drawled, leaning back onto his left foot. His upper lip curled into a small sneer before he smirked. "I wouldn't go tattling to anybody. I believe you're already known in the village as a delusional old man."

"What do ye want?"

"Well, to thank you for starters." Hiccup shrugged, turning so he was side on to Mildew as he drew his axe from his back, fingers running over the blade. At the confusion on the other's face, he let his smirk grow. "If it hadn't been for your little Night Fury problem, I wouldn't have been able to infiltrate Berk as well as I have." He turned his axe over in his hand, watching the sunlight catch on the blade. "And to make a proposition."

Mildew shared a look with Fungus, the sheep looking up at him and bleating before he glanced back at the boy. "I'm listenin'."

"I want you to order this flower from Trader Johann." Hiccup pulled a piece of paper from the inside of his vest, handing it over and watching Mildew unfold it to reveal a purple flower. At the questioning eyebrow, he continued, replacing his axe on his back. "It's a flower that causes reptiles to become deathly ill." He smirked, watching the way Mildew's eyes lit up. "I shouldn't have to spell it out for you that dragons are reptiles. Planting bushels of these around the village should spread the infection within a few hours." Handing off the slip of paper to Mildew he raised his axe, watching the old man stumble back a bit in shock. "Now, I'm usually very easy to get along with, Mildew. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. You spread the infection and I make it look like this was your idea. I earn their trust. But if you ever so much as squeal a word of this to iStoick/i, I will make you watch as I kill your little Fungus here and roast him and then I will slit your throat and leave you to bleed like the pig you are." He tilted his head and gave a pleasant smile. "Do we have an accord?"

"Yes," the old man muttered, clenching his fist around the piece of paper in his hand.

Hiccup let his smirk widen, sheathing his axe against his back as he placed his free hand on his hip, tilting his head. "Good. Remember - you breathe a word of this to anyone and your precious sheep will be the one to pay the price." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Mildew to look down at Fungus before he pulled the crumpled piece of paper straight, bringing it up to his eyes to squint at the messy handwriting.

_Blue Oleander_.

"Looks like we better get the old eagle mail ready, eh, Fungus?"

* * *

Things around Berk were bustling with the news that Trader Johann was coming in a few days time, with Berkians discussing what they were going to trade. Astrid wandered into the village square, Stormfly next to her. She'd left Ruffnut to roughhouse with her brother once the boys had found their way to them, not entirely comfortable with having them see her doing girly things. It wasn't that Astrid wasn't fond of girly things, not at all, she just preferred the tough image she projected.

"Why do I feel so weird around him, Stormfly?" she asked her Nadder in a voice low enough between the two of them. "It's like one minute I want to kill him and the next I'm...I'm all flushed up like a damsel in distress or something."

"Hey there, princess." She very nearly jumped and shrieked at the sound of Hiccup's voice, whirling around to look at him with an angry expression on her face at being snuck up on. He was standing behind her with a rather amused look, arms crossed over his chest and his head tilted curiously, Fenrir behind him. "What's got you so jumpy?"

"Don't _do_ that!" she snapped, her cheeks flaring pink before he reached out to pick up the end of the braid hanging off the side of her face. He pinched it between his forefinger and thumb, raising an eyebrow at it before he dropped it again, only to receive a punch to the shoulder.

"Ow! Now what was that for?" He didn't even do anything this time.

Astrid huffed, tucking the small braid back behind her ear. Stormfly nudged at her a bit, causing her to take a couple of steps forward towards him and she shot her dragon a look over her shoulder only to receive a snorting laugh in return. "So how's the Night Fury doing?"

Hiccup shrugged. "He's just about worn himself out trying to get out of the cove. An angry dragon hardly seems like the most brilliant thing to try and tame."

She let a small smile curl across her mouth, nodding the accuracy of his assessment. "Now you're thinking like a trainer. A placid dragon is easier to approach, especially if you have food on hand. Dragons like fish, so next time you go to the cove take a piece of cod. No eel though."

He inclines his head before he reached out to lift the small braid again. "You changed your hair."

Astrid rubbed the back of her neck in a bit of embarrassment, smaking his hand away with her other one. "I think it was due for a change. Besides, Alvin did most of the damage." She looked out the corner of her eye at him.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, leaning forward and twisting the recently brushed ends around in his fingers before he tilted his head to whisper in her ear. "I like it. Makes you look cuter."

She stood still for a moment, her heart racing before she thumped him on the arm again, earning herself another low whine of 'Ow!'. "Go get some fish for that Night Fury already, jerk."


	10. Chapter 10

Ear perking as he heard something off to the side, the Night Fury turned its head to where the noise came from, eyes narrowing when he noticed a human standing behind him. His upper lip curled into a snarl, teeth unsheathing from his gums in a threatening way. He might be hungry and weak but that didn't mean that he was going to lie down for this human without a fight, tail flicking up into the air and wings flaring out.

Hiccup eyed the Night Fury with almost the same look it was giving him before he remembered that this was about showing trust and straightened himself. Keeping one of his hands behind his back, he pulled his axe off from his holster behind his back, throwing it to the side where it imbedded into the ground from the force. The dragon's head perked up, his ear flaps flattening against his skull as he looked at where the axe fell before looking back at the human and squinting.

"How about we do this the easy way instead of the hard way, hm?" Hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow, reaching into the small wicker basket resting at his hip off of his belt. "I bet you're hungry." The dragon growled low in its throat before he pulled out a trout. Its eyes dilated, hunger evident on its face but its pride wasn't going to let things happen that easily. It wriggled its shoulders, tail flicking around behind it and tongue slipping out to lick its lips, looking about ready to pounce on him for the fish.

"This is absolutely ridiculous," he muttered under his breath as he approached the beast, keeping the fish close so it wouldn't have a chance to dart out and snatch it from his hand. Every instinct that had been battered into him since he could walk was screaming to just wrestle the dragon into submission but he shook his head to clear his mind of that, inhaling and exhaling deeply. The Outcast eventually got within a foot before the dragon scooted back a bit, sitting on its haunches before Hiccup finally held out the fish. The Night Fury leaned forward again, mouth open to reveal pink gums as it looked up at him. "Toothless? I could have sworn you had..." Sharp teeth ejected from protective casings and Hiccup watched the fish be ripped from his hand, his fingers nearly being bitten off in the process. He pulled his hand back, shaking it with a bit of disgust. "Teeth."

The dragon seemed to be enjoying the fish though, if the way it swallowed it down in one gulp was any indication. It sniffed the air curiously before it rounded in on the small wicker basket at Hiccup's hip, nudging the lid up and peeking inside before the boy pulled away. "I don't have any more," he all but snapped out before a rather hard nudge from the dragon caused him to fall onto his backside. Cursing at himself for throwing his axe away, Hiccup scrambled back until his back pressed against a rock. With the dragon looming over him, it seemed like he was going to have no choice but to take care of him in the more conventional way before he heard a retching sound. Watching the way the Night Fury's neck moved - a particularly large lump making its way up - he gave a small wince as the head of the fish, covered in dragon saliva, landed in his lap.

The Night Fury sat back, looking at him expectantly as he glanced at the fish head in his lap and back up, raising an eyebrow. It licked its lips, forked tongue sliding out. "You want me to eat this? Seriously?" There was a growl as though in confirmation and Hiccup ran a hand through his shaggy hair with a sigh before he picked the fish head up. Waste not want not, he'd said to Astrid, and that still rang true for him. Hiccup held the head in both hands, maintaining eye contact with the dragon as he sank his teeth into the half chewed up fish. iLike bird chicks being fed by their mother, dragons must do the same,/i he figured as he forced the raw fish down with a swallow and a wince.

Seeming pleased, the dragon trilled in the back of its throat as Hiccup finished the fish head off, the coo catching the boy's attention as he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He tilted his head, watching the Night Fury mimic the move before he stood from where he was sitting back against the rock. Now was the moment of truth he guessed. Reaching out with a hand, he seemed to be getting somewhere before the dragon shook its head, its eyes dilating and hissing before it scurried off to somewhere else in the cove. Hiccup scowled after it, dropping his hand before whirling around and kicking the rock with the ball of his foot.

"Damn it!"

* * *

The trip back to the village was mostly uneventful, the Outcast heir fuming the entire way. Why couldn't he have just made the dragon submit? This whole thing would be a hell of a lot easier if he could do things the Outcast way, even if the Outcast way did include maiming and possibly killing the beast. Hiccup entertained thoughts of how to kill the Night Fury as he made his way into town, watching the way people ran past him to the docks. They ran like they were being attacked but the expressions on their faces were happy ones and the village wasn't on fire so he gathered it wasn't like that.

Noticing Fishlegs run by him as fast as his little legs could carry him, Hiccup reached out to stop the other teenager, making him turn his head to look at him. "What's going on?"

"Trader Johann is in town," Fishlegs replied, and Hiccup could practically feel the excitement radiating off the boy. Then again, Berk was a small island community whose only interaction with other tribes was through war or diplomatic reasons, so something new coming to town through Trader Johann would obviously get them excited. "Are you gonna come down?"

He tilted his head in consideration. "Hm. Maybe. I don't have anything to trade though."

"Oh no problem. You could ask him if you could give him something extra next time he comes into port. Trader Johann's nice like that." As though suddenly realizing who he was talking to, Fishlegs gave a small squeak and scurried off again, tripping once on the way before he stumbled back up. Hiccup chuckled under his breath, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction at the other boy's nervousness around him before he rolled his shoulders. He should at least go down and see what was available in any case. He might find a new sword or something.

The docks were somewhat clear by the time he made his way down, looking out the corner of his eye as the twins fought over something or other. Some kind of statue by the looks of it. As he stepped onto the boat and Trader Johann turned around to welcome him, his eyes widened upon seeing the Outcast, raising an eyebrow before he spread his arms, salesman face on. "Ah, Hiccup. Always good to see you, lad, but, er, what are you doing on Berk?"

"Alvin disowned me for failing an important mission, and my boat landed here after a storm." He gave a small shrug. "The village was kind enough to put me up." Until they could trust him, but he left that part out. Noticing the look on Stoick's face out the corner of his eye as the chief studied a new sword, he figured not saying his true father's name made the older man a bit disheartened.

"Outcast or Berkian, you'll always be welcome on my boat, son. I picked up some pretty good weapons on my last trip to the Meathead tribe that you're welcome to peruse." Johann clapped his hands together, rubbing them with a smile.

"I'm afraid I don't have anything to trade this time around, since all my belongings have no doubt been destroyed by now back on Outcast Island. Would you mind waiting until next time for a bigger barter?"

"As the young man wishes. Anything you want, and you trade double next time. Do we have an accord, Hiccup?"

"That we do, Trader Johann." Hiccup took the outstretched hand and shook it, adding a bit of a squeeze to it with a small smirk before he turned away from the tradesman and wandered over to the weapons section. Stoick continued swinging the sword around through the air in practice, as though he hadn't made a face at Hiccup, and the boy ran his fingers over the blade of a hatchet, picking it up and weighing it in his hands.

"Oh you're, ah, interested in axes and hatchets then, boy?" He looked out the corner of his eye at Stoick as the chief gave one last swing of the sword, cutting clean through one of the poles of the docks.

"Any type of weaponry really," he replied curtly, pulling the hatchet back and giving it an experimental swing through the air. "I had trophies back ho...on Outcast Island from raids. No doubt they're gone now, but I was particularly fond of a couple of them. A pity."

"Er, I see." Stoick twiddled his fingers over the hilt of the blade in his hands, watching the way Hiccup moved. It was obvious he'd been trained for years, if the way the hatchet swung through the air was any indication. "Hiccup, there's...something I've been meaning to talk to you about." The boy paused, looking over his shoulder at his biological father. "Where are you staying right now, lad?"

"I've been sleeping out in the rocks behind the village with Fenrir." At the look on Stoick's face, he rolled his eyes, placing the hatchet back with the other weapons. "Well it's not like there's anywhere else."

"I want you to consider moving into my house." All activity seemed to stop on the boat and Hiccup's eyes widened into a look of incredulousness. He couldn't seriously be asking him back, could he? "Now I know I haven't exactly been a good father, and for years I thought Thor had taken you when we sent you out to sea. You have every right to be mad at me, lad, I don't blame you, but please consider it at least."

This was his chance, Hiccup thought to himself as he looked up at Stoick, green eyes dancing with distrust as the chief and the rest of the boat waited with bated breath. If he took the offer, he'd have a prime position to kill Stoick in his sleep when the time came. Gain their trust, kill Stoick, steal the dragon conqueror and make it back to Outcast Island before anybody noticed with a tamed Deadly Nadder and Night Fury. He tilted his head away, crossing his arms. "I'll think about it."

As he turned away from Stoick as the chief covered up the momentary beam on his face, he watched Mildew and Johann talking in hushed voices over by a stack of wicker baskets, his lips curling into a smirk. That must be the Blue Oleander that he told the old man to order. Good. Mildew had held up his end. "Pity, I was looking forward to roast lamb," he murmured under his breath as he passed on his way around. He saw Mildew stiffen out the corner of his eye and gave the old man an innocent smile even as Johann looked between them questioningly before he shrugged it off as simply the effect Hiccup left on people.

Spotting Astrid test out a weapon she'd picked up, he grinned, sneaking up behind her while she was practicing, watching the way she swung the axe before he reached out, cupping his hands around hers and shifting closer behind her. "Your form is a bit messy, princess."

She shot him a look over her shoulder, a bit startled and would have swung around to take his head off with the blade, and she stomped on his booted foot, making him wince. "I could have killed you, numbskull!" she swore at him, before he started moving them in unison. "And what do you mean by _messy_? I'm..." She held her breath as he corrected her form, her face flushing a little in embarrassment. "Oh..."

"Like I said, messy." Once he was done, he pulled the axe from her grip, trailing his fingers along the blade. "This is a Roman style weapon."

"You can tell that just by looking at the blade?"

Hiccup shrugged, handing it back to her handle first. "I've seen Roman blades up close and personal. I know one when I see one. I imagine it'd be a bit hard for someone who hasn't been on a raid to see."

"The Outcasts _raided_ the Romans?" Astrid raised an eyebrow. _That_ she found a little hard to believe, and the fact that he'd been on one. She crossed her arms over her chest, careful with the axe. "You're bluffing."

"Sometimes Roman boats crossed into Outcast waters." He rolled his eyes at her disbelief. "Anything they have on board is immediately theirs by rights."

"Mmm...I guess I can believe that." She looked at the small wicker basket attached to his hip. "You've fed the Night Fury? What was its reaction?"

"It threw half of it up in my lap and expected me to eat it."

Astrid made a face. "Yeah, they do that sometime. It's their version of a peace offering. Stormfly shared her fish with me the first time I fed her too. It's a sign that he's starting to trust you."

"Like you are, princess?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow, lips quirking. "Should I be expecting half eaten fish to show up on my plate at dinner tonight?"

She hit him on the arm. "I still don't trust you entirely...but I'm starting to." Astrid turned her head away from him, missing the way his smirk darkened just a bit before she lifted the axe in her hand. "So how much is a Roman axe worth for barter, you think?"

"If you have to ask, more than you can afford."

"Drat."

* * *

The next morning, there were blue-purple flowers around the plaza and spreading up the steps to the great hall. Hiccup had made Fenrir stay behind in their little mountain cave when he saw the sunlight hit blue down in the valley. He made his way into town with a stretch, noticing the way the other viking teenagers were gathered in the plaza with their dragons.

He raised a questioning eyebrow, tilting his head. "What's wrong with them?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. Five pairs of eyes looked up at him, a couple of them a bit weirded out by the way he actually sounded concerned.

"They're sick, genius," Snotlout snapped from where he was kneeling next to Hookfang, careful not to get his Monstrous Nightmare too upset so that he set himself on fire.

"Lay off, Snotlout, he was just asking a question," Ruffnut growled out, her own irritation starting to peak. If Barf was feeling better she'd have told him to send his noxious fumes Snotlout's way, but alas, that was not to be. She looked up at Hiccup, mouth screwing up as she shrugged, Tuffnut taking over. "He won't even blow anything up."

"You weren't up half the night cleaning dragon snot off your walls," the Berk heir hissed at her, stroking his hand along Hookfang's muzzle as the Nightmare grumbled.

"Now I'm really glad I didn't bring Fenrir into town with me." Hiccup crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his chin as he pursed his lips together. He looked at Astrid and Fishlegs. "They've never been sick like this before?"

"Never." Fishlegs shook his head, pulling an arm away from around Meatlug as he used his hand to elaborate. "We think it's something new that's making them sick. Trader Johann was just here yesterday, though. We wouldn't know where to start."

He rolled his eyes a little. How pathetic. "It's simple. Get everyone to throw everything they bought from Trader Johann into a pile and burn it. Are you vikings or not?" As the other kids looked at each other, he shrugged. "Well, I'm going to go feed Toothless, so I'd better not hang around here much longer. Don't want to carry whatever disease your dragons are and make him sick too."

"You named him Toothless?" Astrid asked, watching the Outcast boy slap a hand over his mouth as his cheeks flared with a bit of embarrassment.

"I've been calling him that mentally ever since I noticed that his teeth are retractable. I guess it works as a name." Fishlegs' eyes lightened up and he waved a hand before the other boy could open his mouth. "He's not ready for other visitors yet. I'll let you know when and you can study him to your heart's content."

"Well, we won't keep you." Astrid frowned a little, looking over at the others. "In the meantime, we'll get everyone to throw their things into a pile."

As Hiccup walked away from the group, he overheard Snotlout yelling "I'm _not_ getting rid of my mirror!" and rolled his eyes. Useless fools.

* * *

Mildew scowled when he opened the door. "Oh, it's you," he said, eyeing Hiccup with beady grey eyes. "I did yer dirty work for you. Rack off, already."

"Oh no, you misunderstand, Mildew, I was just coming by to thank you for all your hard work." The Outcast heir crossed his arms over his chest, smirking. "And to tell you that the Blue Oleander is already in effect." Noticing the look on the older man's face, he spread his arms wide. "What's with that look, Mildew? You should be happy! The dragons are getting sicker by the hour."

"But you're going to cure them. Where's the satisfaction in that?"

"It's all in their reactions, my friend," he purred, stepping past Mildew and into his house despite the noise of protest from the elder. "Once I reveal that I know the cure to the Blue Oleander, they'll be desperate to cure their dragons. You should have seen the looks on their faces, really. Their despair was delicious." Hiccup looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the look on Mildew's face. "Oh, don't look like that. Trust me, you're aiding a worthy cause. Besides, by what I've heard, you were aiming to get rid of the dragons long before I washed up here." He looked out the corner of his eye at a painting on the wall under a trophy head of a Gronckle, noticing the depiction of a younger Mildew engaging a Monstrous Nightmare.

"And what about your dragons?" Mildew asked as he picked up Fungus after a series of terrified bleating from the sheep. "Are they going to get sick too?"

"Fenrir is far away from the Blue Oleanders you planted around the village and Toothless is stuck in a cove. They won't get infected." He turned around. "Besides, I have to bring back proof to my father that I was able to tame dragons. Alvin wants nothing but the best, and he will get the best, and soon we will rule from the skies with an army of dragons!" Hiccup spread his arms again, an almost maniacal grin on his face. "The Outcasts will rule over the lands and seas and skies and there won't be _anything_ anybody can do to stop us! Not Thor, not Odin, not _Stoick_, and certainly not the little dragon princess. We will be an unstoppable force! Revered as _Gods_!"

The old man watched the boy laugh, fingers clenching around the staff in his hand and sinking into Fungus' wool. "Well I didn't sign up for this so get out of me house!"

Hiccup dropped his hands at that, letting one rest on his hip as he closed the distance between them, leaning forward. "Oh but I'm afraid you did. You see, by agreeing to work for me, you've entered what we Outcasts like to call a contract. Any time I need someone to take the fall, you will be that someone, whether you like it or not." He paused, tilting his head as he pulled his axe from his back, reaching to yank Fungus from Mildew's hold by the scruff of his neck. Fungus bleated pathetically, struggling in his hold before he stilled when the axe was brought up to his throat, making Mildew stop trying to grab for him. "I've heard there's more than one way to skin a sheep." He grinned viciously. "Let's test that theory, hm?"

Watching the blade sink into the wool around Fungus's underside, Mildew reached out to wrap his hand around Hiccup's wrist, gnarled old fingers shaking. "Alright, alright! I'll do yer dirty work, just let Fungus go."

Hiccup paused before he ran the blade of his axe through the wool, the sharp edges tearing it away from the sheep's body before he held it to the underside of it's legs, sneering. "This is your last warning, old man." He tossed Fungus towards his owner, watching Mildew fumble with him before he sheathed his axe, walking around them. "Don't mess it up."

Then he was gone, leaving Mildew to soothe his sheep and wonder how he'd gotten himself into this mess.

* * *

"We threw away everything. I don't understand how they aren't getting better," Fishlegs managed to work out over his worrying, pressing the back of his hand to Meatlug's forehead. The usual warm temperature of her body was at a high level, and he pulled his hand away before it could get burned. Evening was starting to fall over the village, everybody having gone to the great hall for dinner even under the dark cloud that the dragons were getting sicker. Fishlegs wrung his hands, looking over at Astrid. "What do we do?"

"There has to be someone who bartered something from Trader Johann who hasn't turned it in," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Stormfly was sleeping in her pen attached to the Hofferson household, or trying to at least. "Think. Who didn't we see throw something into the pile."

"Hiccup didn't," Snotlout said, leaning away from his post and walking over. "I haven't seen him since this morning."

"He's been with the Night Fury at the cove, though," Astrid replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "And besides, his cave's all the way outside of town. If his new weapon was making the dragons sick, it wouldn't be coming down to the valley. He sounded just as worried about Fenrir getting sick as we've been all day."

"Why are you defending him all of a sudden?" Snotlout raised an eyebrow at her. "He was an Outcast and he's been in Berk for a week. I dunno about you guys, but I don't trust him yet."

"Sometimes you just have to not care so much, Snotlout." Astrid noticed Ruffnut grin at her out the corner of her eye and give her a nod of approval before she shrugged. "Let's just say I've been looking at things from a different perspective."

Silence fell between the teens, worry eating at them in a way that made their interactions with each other that much more tedious. Snotlout huffed and crossed his arms, leaning against the watch tower. The twins sighed in unison where they were sitting down on the ground, Ruffnut drawing her legs up and Tuffnut crossing his own as Fishlegs hummed a lullaby, watching Meatlug close her eyes.

"Still no luck?" They looked up when Hiccup came into view from the portside of the island, noticing the looks on their faces. When they shook their heads, he frowned, tapping his chin. Snotlout gave a low growl before he pushed himself away from his leaning post, storming over to his cousin.

"What about you?" he snapped, planting his fingers quare in Hiccup's chest and looking up, meeting narrowed eyes. "You bartered something from Trader Johann too! I didn't see you toss it on the burning pile!"

"I was with Toothless all day!" Hiccup snapped back, pushing Snotlout's hand away from him with a violent shove. "See?" He gestured to the small wicker basket at his hip, opening it to show him the remaining fish head of a fish, torn at the end with marks that looked like dragon teeth. "Besides, I left my purchase in my camp and I went back to check on Fenrir before I came into town for dinner. She's perfectly healthy."

"Then why are you making so many excuses, huh?"

"Maybe because you're so damn persistent!"

"Would you two knock it off?!" Astrid shouted, hitting both of the boys over their heads, earning exclamations of 'Ow!' from both of them. Watching them rub their heads, she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "We're all worried about the dragons, Snotlout, but Hiccup didn't do anything. I believe him."

"Me too," Ruffnut piped up from the ground, getting up and dusting her skirt off before she helped Tuffnut to his feet, who nodded his assessment. "So cool your jets, Snotty."

Snotlout scowled at his friends before he looked back at Hiccup, who sneered at him. After a couple of minutes, he pushed Astrid's hand away from where it was keeping him in place, scowling and walking over to the twins in a huff. Astrid nodded her approval before she looked at Hiccup sympathetically. "Sorry."

He shrugged. "It's no big deal. I mean I _was_ an Outcast. I can see where the animosity is coming from." He was grinning to himself on the inside, though. It looked like all his hard work at gaining their trust was paying off. "You haven't noticed any changes to your surroundings or anything that might indicate where the disease is coming from?"

Fishlegs pursed his lips together in thought as he got up from the ground, dusting himself off and careful not to wake Meatlug, the teens looking at each other before they shrugged. A Terrible Terror scurried past them and Hiccup's gaze followed it, watching as it sniffed at the Blue Oleander bush before it nibbled on a flower. Fishlegs followed his gaze, frowning deeply. "I don't remember seeing those flowers here before," he began, a bit of hesitance in his voice.

"I saw Mildew planting them last night." Everyone looked towards Tuffnut, who looked a bit weirded out by it before he threw his hands up. "Don't look at me! Nobody asked 'Hey, Tuffnut, did you see anything strange last night?'!" Ruffnut smacked him in the shoulder. "Well nobody did!"

"Who is Mildew anyway?" Hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing at Astrid who clenched her fists at her sides. "I heard someone mention that he's tried to get rid of the dragons before."

"He has," she ground out, brow furrowing into a deep scowl. "And it wouldn't surprise me if he iwas/i behind this."

"I swear I am going to hurt him so bad," Snotlout growled, smacking his fist into the palm of his hand. "Hookfang was so sick I was cleaning dragon barf for hours!"

"We can't do anything until we can prove that it was him, though," Fishlegs spoke up, his arms spread wide. "And Stoick is over in the next village making a peace treaty. He won't be back until tomorrow."

"Who said we need to wait for Stoick?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow, unattaching the small wicker basket from his belt and rolling his shoulders, cracking his knuckles with a grin. "A little interrogation doesn't need a chief's permission." He looked at Fishlegs, voice lowering. "Meatlug is sick, possibly dying because of Mildew. Don't you want to give a little payback?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"Ah forget him." Snotlout waved his hand. "As the heir of Berk, I say we go pay Mildew a visit."

In the end, they hadn't been able to get a confession out of Mildew, the teenagers returned to the village with a dejected look on their faces. Things could only get worse from here after all. Hiccup frowned as though in thought, plucking a flower from a bush and running his fingers over a petal. Astrid watched him study it, walking over with a tilt of her head. "What is it?"

"I've seen this flower before."

"Uh, yeah, they've been here since this morning," Tuffnut interjected with a roll of his eyes,

"No, I mean I've seen it before. It's a flower that only grows on Hysteria." Ignoring the questioning looks that simply asked what he was doing on Hysteria, he threw his arms up. "I was easily distracted from raids as a kid, okay? It's a Blue Oleander, poisonous to reptiles."

"Well we know that," said Snotlout a bit more sarcastically than usual.

Fishlegs smacked his fist into his palm. "Now I know where I've seen that flower before! It was in the botany book that I got from Trader Johann."

"Think quick, Fishlegs," Astrid said imploringly, using her hands to elaborate. "Did it say anything about a cure?"

"I don't know! I never got through it!"

"There's a dragon that eats the Blue Oleander," Hiccup continued, crumbling the flower up in his hand. "The Scauldron. It's..."

"A sea dragon that swallows down sea water and shoots it back out of its mouth at scalding temperatures." Fishlegs winced a little when Hiccup glared at him, but he continued nonetheless. "Usually with something like this, you'd be able to draw its venom to create an antidote, but Scauldrons don't have venom."

"Yes they do." All eyes were back on Hiccup. "Alvin had a captive Scauldron back on Outcast Island for entertainment purposes. One of the handlers was bitten and died a day or so later because we couldn't extract the venom from his body. We didn't have the methods."

"Well we're not going to Outcast Island," Astrid said, placing her hands on her hips. "We'll take a boat out to sea and lure it in with the Blue Oleanders. Ruff, Tuff, I want you guys to start shredding the bushes of those flowers and put them into baskets. Snotlout, Fishlegs, go get us a boat ready. Hiccup and I will get everything ready to extract that venom from the Scauldron. Let's get this done before the chief comes back."

"I'd lure it to the boat from the air but I'm afraid being around the flowers will make Fenrir sick," the outcast said as everyone nodded and started scurrying about to get things prepared.

Astrid turned to him, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it, I wouldn't ask you to get her sick for the sake of our own dragons." She gave him a look before offering a small smile. "Y'know, I'm a little proud of you." At his blinking, she shrugged. "A week ago you would've been insisting on doing things the Outcast way. I'm impressed."

He inclined his head. "Yeah, well, let's just get the dragons taken care of."

"I guess matching you to Fenrir softened you." She raised an eyebrow before wandering off to do what she said they would, leaving Hiccup grinning in the dark as he swept away to follow her. If only she knew.

* * *

Getting the venom from the Scauldron was no easy task, but the six viking teenagers managed to get away from it mostly unscathed. Tuffnut had ended up messing the whole plan up and in the end, Hiccup had had to rip one of its eyeteeth from its mouth in order to keep it from biting the male twin. While not in the original plan, the tooth had ended up carrying the venom all the same, and they left it to soak in the bucket he and Astrid had prepared on the way back to Berk. Once there, they took the venom to Gobber to be made into an antidote, who gave them questioning looks.

Waiting for the antidote to push the poison from the dragon's bodies was the worst part. It took very nearly five hours, but the worst of the sickness was taken care of and they were back on their feet. Hiccup leaned against the outside of Stormfly's pen, listening to Astrid coo to her softly with his arms crossed over his chest. Sunlight was beginning to break over the horizon, enveloping the village with a warm glow.

"Thank you." Astrid's voice snapped him out of his reverie and he turned his head to look at her as she placed her hand on the wood he was leaning against. At the look on his face, she gave him a smile. "If you hadn't recognized the flower and known that the Scauldron had venom, I'm pretty sure all our dragons would be dead by now."

He shrugged, turning in his spot so that he was facing her instead of side on, but still leaning against his post. "It's no big deal," he replied, waving a hand. "I'm sure you would've done the same if it was Fenrir that had gotten sick and not your dragon."

She shook her head, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "You said it yourself during your first flight - you probably would have suggested that we kill them a few weeks ago. You've come a long way." Astrid pulled her hand away only to wrap her arms around his shoulders in a hug.

Hiccup stood stock still at the hug, his eyes wide and unfocused and hands hanging in the air around her waist, as though he didn't know what to do with them. When she pulled away and draped her arms over his shoulders, he gave her a look, raising an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"It's called a hug." She rolled her eyes at him but when he showed no acknowledgement to the word, she frowned as she came to a realization. "Alvin never hugged you. Did he?"

He inclined his head. "He used to wrap me into a headlock and pat me on the back, but he never...hugged me, no." It was a strange sensation that left a tingle through his body, a strange warmth flowing through his veins. When she went to hug him again, he was a bit more prepared for it this time, though he still didn't know what to do with his hands.

"Then you better get used to them, jerkface."


	11. Chapter 11

Gobber hummed to himself as he pattered about his workshop, sharpening weapons that had been given to him to fix the nicks in their blades. Things had been rather strange around here ever since Hiccup had washed up, he mused to himself as he studied the blade with a trained eye, turning it around and preparing to sharpen the other side. Being asked to turn Scauldron venom into an antidote notwithstanding. He knew that he should be keeping an eye on them to make sure they stayed out of trouble, but who could blame them when their dragons had been sick as sailors.

Once he was sure that the sword as sharpened enough, he turned around to place it on the stand, very nearly jumping out of his boot when he saw the Outcast boy standing there watching him. He gave a sigh, shoulders sagging as he put the blade down from where he'd been holding it up in defense. "I could have killed you, you idiot boy," he snapped, fixing his helmet. He looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do ye want?"

"I need to make something," Hiccup started, drawing himself a little closer as he reached into his vest to pull a sketchbook out. He flipped it to the page, showing it to the older viking. "The Night Fury I shot down is missing a tail fin. I was thinking, and I'm pretty sure I have the right idea on how to fix that."

Gobber took the papers, rubbing his chin as he looked the design over. It looked a little complicated, but he pursed his lips together as his eyes roamed over it, making humming noises in the back of his throat. He looked out the corner of his eye at the boy who would have been his godson, shaking the papers at him. "You think this will get him up in the air?"

"Not without aid. He's been trying to get out of the cove since last week. Even if he has entertained the notion of getting back into the air and resuming his periodical attacks, he wouldn't be able to without my help. That's what the left stirrup is for." He pulled the papers down a bit, pointing to the one displaying the stirrups. "It'll allow me to control the tail."

Looking at the boy, he noticed the look of sincerity on his face. Only a week or so ago that face had nothing but malicious intent and it was surprising to see it stripped away. He gave a small sigh as he scratched at his head. "Do ye even know what yer doin' around a smithery?" At the blank look on the boy's face, he shook his head, placing the papers down on a bench. "I'll help you out this once, lad, but you have to promise me something."

Hiccup's brow furrowed together. "Anything."

"Talk with Stoick."

"But that."

Gobber rubbed under his eyes, letting go of the papers and taking hold of the boy's shoulders. "He might not say it out loud, Hiccup, but trust me when I say that he regretted following tradition. Every day of his life I used to see him staring out at the seas when he thought nobody was looking. He lost you, and then he lost Val two years later. If you ask me, the man's put himself through enough punishment."

The boy shrugged the older man's hands off his shoulders, looking away as he bit his lip with a small scowl. Finally, he closed his eyes. "All my life I was trained to hate him. Alvin never kept where I came from a secret. He...he used it to make me angry, so angry until I saw nothing but red. It was like a command to kill." He lifted his hand to rub at an arm, glancing down at his feet as Gobber frowned at this new information. "I can't talk with Stoick without wanting to slice his throat open and watch the blood drain from his body."

"Yikes." Gobber stroked his chin, looking at the boy with a gaze that said he was watching to see if he was lying. Hiccup glanced up at him before he looked away again. The boy was just as much a victim of Alvin as the other people that Berk's oldest and most feared enemy had conquered. "Well, I won't force you to talk to him, but I do want you to at least consider forgiving him."

"I can't promise anything," Hiccup said, shoulders raising a little in a shrug. "But I guess I can try."

"Good lad." He patted the boy on the shoulder before he inclined his head towards the door. "Now git. I'll have this rig set up in no time."

Hiccup nodded and turned to walk away before he looked back over his shoulder. "Hey, uh, Gobber?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Gobber stared after the teenager as he exited the work shop, sighing and shaking his head. "I wonder if that's the first time he's ever said thank you to anyone..." With a scratch to the back of his neck, he picked up the papers that Hiccup had left on his workbench and studied them. Welp, looked like he had a bit of a job to do...

* * *

"There you are." Hiccup looked up from where he was getting a larger wicker basket than usual onto his back, pulling the straps around his shoulders as he straightened himself, watching Astrid walk over to him. She raised an eyebrow when a fish fell out from the top of the basket, leaning down to pick it up. "That's an awful lot of fish for one dragon."

"This fish isn't just for Toothless," he replied, taking it from her when she handed it to him. He tossed it up into the air, a small gust of wind blowing over them as Fenrir swooped to catch it in her mouth, wings flapping as she set her feet on the ground, head moving as she flipped the whole fish into her mouth and swallowed it down. She moved over, sniffing at the basket with a coo. "Hey, hey, no more until we get to the cove, greedy."

Astrid smiled slightly, watching him raise his hand to scratch the underside of Fenrir's jaw. Then it occurred to her what he'd said. "You're taking her to meet him?"

"I figure she can put in a good word for me or something." Hiccup shrugged. "He still hasn't let me touch him. I figure seeing another dragon would put him a little more at ease."

"It could be dangerous," she warned, closing the distance as he hopped easily onto Fenrir's back when she tilted her wing down for him. "He could get jealous. Do you want me to come with you for backup?"

He looked at her before he raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even pass dragon training. What makes you think you can handle a five thousand pound plus Night Fury if he starts acting up?"

"Thanks for the concern, but I can take care of myself." Without waiting for him to respond, she climbed on despite the noise of protest he made, wrapping her arms around his middle. Fenrir shifted to get used to the feeling of two people on her back, plus an entire wicker basket full of fish. With a look over her shoulder that told her rider she wanted extra fish for this, she took off, wings beating as she ascended the skies.

Astrid didn't know whether she was grateful or not for the wicker basket between them, her arms barely wrapping around his middle so she hooked her fingers into the belt around his waist, holding onto him that way so she didn't go flying off of Fenrir's back. Once the Deadly Nadder eased into a stable position, she released her white knuckled grip in favor of a more loose one, looking over her shoulder at the disappearing village below them.

Hiccup was forcing himself not to direct Fenrir towards Outcast Isand as his fingers dug into the leather of her saddle. If he flew there now he wouldn't be able to tame one of the deadliest dragons known to viking kind. It was tempting. So, so tempting. He only had a week and a half left on the time limit he had set himself, but to go back now was to go back not the triumphant warrior he was going to return as. He had her on his dragon, he had her trust, but there was still so much to do before he could call his mission complete.

"Hey, Hiccup." Rearranging his face into a neutral expression, he turned his head to glance out the corner of his eye at her as Fenrir banked a soft left, starting to turn around in the direction of the cove. Astrid paused, tilting her head to look at him. "I hate to admit it, but I was wrong about you." She paused when he made a humming noise, sitting back as she tightened her grip on his belt again before she shrugged. "I just wanted to tell you that."

Fenrir landed in a clearing near the cove and waited for her riders to dismount before starting to preen herself, beak digging into her wings. Hiccup turned around to look at Astrid with a raised eyebrow, tilting his head. "Oh, so you trust me now, princess?"

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

"One more time, princess, as usual." With a smirk, he started heading down a steep groove between the rocks, and she followed after, careful in her movements. There was just enough room for Fenrir to squeeze through after them, squawking as though calling out for them to wait for her. When they stepped into the small valley, Hiccup glanced around for signs of Toothless, setting the basket on the ground. When the Night Fury failed to show itself, he raised his voice, Astrid watching him with interest. "Gee, I packed way too much fish for just one dragon. What a shame you don't have anyone to share with, Fenrir."

Fenrir cocked her head, trilling in a noise that clearly said she wouldn't mind not sharing. Astrid coudln't help but chuckle a little before there was a thump over by a rocky ledge. Her mouth hung open when she saw the dragon, who tilted his head at seeing the new human and dragon. His hackles raised, showing a gummy maw before his teeth slid out, eyes narrowing. Fenrir cooed over to him and he reared back, tilting his head as his eyes returned to normal. He made a noise back, ear flaps pulled against his head as he studied the new human, Fenrir trilling in reply.

"Well at least they seem to like each other," Astrid said with a small hum from where she stood next to Hiccup, hands on her hips as she studied the interaction between the two dragons. Stormfly generally got along with the other dragons but because Fenrir was a young Nadder, Toothless mightn't feel that threatened by her. He certainly looked young but there was intelligence and wisdom in his eyes that she hadn't seen in other dragons before. They were still trying to determine how to tell a dragon's age, but she could definitely say that he was older than her.

"That's a bit less dragon blood on my hands then," he said with a small grunt as he pulled the wicker basket off from his back, the wiry wooden contraption falling open after he planted his foot against it and spilled it out over the ground. Fenrir eyeballed the feast of fish before she called over to Toothless to join her as she positioned herself on one side. After a minute of thought, the Night Fury pawed his way over to the Nadder, sniffing the fish as he watched her snatch one up into her beak before following her lead.

Hiccup leaned back against a nearby rock as the dragons feasted, palms flat against it behind him before Astrid joined him, her own arms crossed over her chest and legs crossed in front of her. There was silence between the two viking teenagers, nothing but the sound of the two dragons eating and a couple of birds whistling in the afternoon sun. Orange light beamed down through the valley, glistening on the rain water forming the small lake in the middle.

"I never thought there could be days like this." Astrid looked out the corner of her eye at Hiccup, watching him heft himself up onto the rock and lean forward on his knees as he watched his two dragons. It might have been a trick of the light, but she could have sworn he looked younger, scrawnier. "This...this peacefulness, having to find something to do to fill in the day, not having to fight over food or water, not having to fight _dragons_."

"It could be like this every day. If you stayed," she said softly, tucking her side braid beind her ear as she looked over to where Fenrir and Toothless had finished their feast of fish and were starting to play now that their bellies were full. "I mean, assuming you were planning on finding somewhere else to live."

"Where else would there be for me?" he asked, voice equally soft as he watched them as well. "I have no home here, nor on Outcast Island. I will never forgive Stoick for what he did fifteen years ago, but I won't forgive Alvin either. They were my fathers, and they preferred to follow tradition and law over keeping their own son. If I was to go back to Outcast Island, it would be to challenge Alvin. I have no desire to take over the Outcast tribe, but someone's blood must be spilled before I'm satisfied."

"I'll go with you." When he looked at her like she was crazy, Astrid rolled her eyes. "You'll need someone to watch your back, idiot. I highly doubt Alvin will play fair."

Good. Good, she was finally falling into his trap. He smirked at her, tilting his head. "I'm flattered that you're worried about me, princess, but I can handle myself."

"I'm going and that's that." She pursed her lips together as she huffed at his idiocy. "You can't stop me."

"Fair enough, but do what I tell you to. Otherwise neither of us will make it out of there alive." _Well, I will, but you'll never see the light of day or Berk again._ He turned his attention to where Toothless and Fenrir were now sitting, their little playtime over with. Fenrir was making a series of trilling noises in her throat, chittering aimiably and the Night Fury had his ears perked forward from where his head was resting on his folded forepaws as though showing mild interest in what the Nadder was talking about. Toothless keened out a reply, and both dragons looked over to Hiccup before they stood from where they were sitting. Toothless looked over his shoulder at her before she cooed softly and nudged him with her wing tip.

"Looks like she's telling him to trust you," Astrid said, pulling away from the rock and standing to the side as Hiccup slid down from his sittin position, drawing up to his full height. The Night Fury crept closer to them, ears flat against his head and looking ready to bolt if either one of them made the wrong move. Fenrir kept trilling encouragement, or at least that's what it sounded like to the humans, and Toothless eyed Hiccup with a bit of suspicion before he finally stood naught but a couple of feet in front of the Outcast boy. Hiccup held his hand out like Astrid had showed him the day that he'd bonded with Fenrir, keeping his expression as neutral as he could.

Toothless's nostrils flared, squinting at the hand before his body heaved with a huff, lifting his head towards the boy's outstretched hand. Hiccup felt black scales under his fingers, dry skin shift with every muscle that moved, hearing Astrid suck in a breath. He knew that under his hand was a powerful beast, and his mind was modifying his current schemes at a hundred miles an hour. He could do so much damage to Berk with this dragon, could rule from the skies as a prince, a God even. He let his lips quirk into a slight smirk, careful not to show his true thoughts on his face.

The moment of peace passed when Toothless pulled his head away and shook it, a small growl vibrating from his throat before he bounded off over to another part of the cove. Hiccup raised an eyebrow after the Night Fury before he turned to Fenrir, lifting his hand higher to scratch under her chin. "Good girl." He turned his head to look at Astrid, who was watching Toothless make a bed of fire before flopping down in it. "That's the farthest I've gotten all week. Hopefully tomorrow or the day after he'll be ready to try on the prosthetic tail fin I'm having Gobber make him."

"I noticed he had one missing," she said, closing the distance between them after picking up the wicker basket with ease now that it was empty. She lifted her hand to stroke it over Fenrir's nose, the Nadder trilling her content. "Did that happen when you trapped him?"

"Yeah. It's the reason he can't fly out of here." He feigned a guilty look as he turned to look at her front on, forcing himself to show remorse.

"It wasn't your fault." Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder, watching him look away. "You've changed since then. I'm sure Toothless knows that too, that's why he touched his nose to your hand."

Hiccup was quiet for a minute before he ran his hand through his hair, looking at her with a small smile. "Well in any case, my experiment was a success. He gets along with Fenrir at least."

"That'll be good for when we go to fight Alvin." She leaned against the wicker basket, crossing her arms over her chest. "You, me, Stormfly, Fenrir and Toothless."

"You and the dragons aren't getting involved in the actual fight itself." He turned to look at the water, watching the last of the sun's rays catch on the surface through the canopy of trees surrounding the cove. "Alvin is mine and mine alone. There's no honor in fighting in a one on one battle with more than the initial people."

"And I said before that I highly doubt Alvin will play fair."

"I know my father's mind!" he snapped at her, causing her to balk a bit before he shook his head, fingers running through his hair. "Sorry...I know Alvin's mind. He taught me everything I know about warfare and strategic planning. He'll definitely have four or more men waiting in the wings for a signal - six at the most - but most of them are stupid beyond words and don't know how to read, let alone follow a simple order. Brute strength mostly."

"Then the dragons and I will hand back and keep those guys from interfering." Astrid pursed her lips together and frowned a little, her mind nitpicking at the way he'd just called Alvin father. Something didn't feel quite right about that, but she shrugged it off. "In any case, let's give ourselves a week and a half to get Toothless up and flying again and trusting you, then we'll go face Alvin. Together." Watching her hold her hand out, he looked at it before she spoke again, rolling her eyes with a small sigh. "We're friends, idiot. When I say together I mean..."

"I know what it means." He reached to shake her hand, keeping his grip firm but lighter than it used to be. "I still think you're insne for following me."

"Hey, if I'm insane then you're crazier than Loki."

* * *

"Of course Meatlug wants sandstone rocks to help her sleep better," Fishlegs muttered to himself as he made his way down to the docks in the middle of the night, pulling his fur vest tighter around his body as he carried a basket with him. "I should have stocked up during the day, I didn't know we were fresh out. Still, only the best for daddy's little girl." Whistling to himself as he made his way down, the blonde viking paused halfway down the ramp to the beach, tilting his head when he saw a figure standing on the beach, peering through the darkness. "Is that...?"

He hurried down to the end where the ramp came into contact with a wall of rock, setting the basket down and peering around the corner as he frowned to himself, placing a hand up against the rocks to steady himself. "It's Hiccup," he murmured, brow furrowing deeper. He shrugged it off and picked up the basket again, continuing on his way down. "He must be out for a midnight stroll. I bet it gets lonely up in the mountains."

Walking down the remaining ramp and turning with hand cupped over his mouth to call out to the other viking, he stood stock still when he saw the rowing boat approaching the coast line, squinting to see the larger boat out in the distance. Fishlegs let out a loud gasp before he clamped his hand over his mouth, eyes darting around looking for a place to hide.

Hiccup watched Savage lead the other two men to the shore, stepping off the rowing boat and into the water when he was close enough, careful not to make splashing sounds. Fenrir stood next to him, hovering protectively over her rider as her tail swished back and forth. The Outcast heir had his arms crossed over his chest, raising an eyebrow at his mentor. "You are late."

"A thousand apologies, oh patient one," Savage said with a low bow, left hand raising to his chest. "We had to seek another place of refuge..."

"I don't want your excuses, Savage," he snapped, completely unaware of their onlooker. Hiccup sighed out a breath to calm himself down - if anyone was to stumble across them, his entire plan would be up in smoke. He held his hand out. "Do you have it?"

"A few throats had to be slit when its last owner was...ah...less than agreeable, but..." Savage reached into a pouch at his hip, pulling out a brilliant red gemstone that seemed to glow fire in the darkness. Hiccup's face lit up greedily when he saw it and he wrapped his fingers around the stone when Savage handed it to him. "The fire stone, as you requested."

"Excellent." Hiccup tossed the gem up into the air before he caught it again, a wicked grin on his face. "Fire stones are responsible for keeping a volcano calm and the dragons within it unhatched. If my sources are correct, this one has been missing from its volcano for fifteen years, and it should be due to erupt at any moment."

Fishlegs clamped a hand over his mouth when he heard the information. No wonder summer had been lasting longer than normal! And with the temperature rising day after day...

"What exactly are your plans for this gem, Hiccup?"

He tossed it up into the air again, watching the way the moonlight shone against its surface before he caught it. "I'm going to plant this in Mildew's house," he said, running his fingers over the finely cut stone. "With the way the temperature's rising, the volcano is bound to erupt in a day, maybe two, maybe less. The entire Barbaric Archipelago will be in danger of sizzling molten lava. When they learn that a fire stone is needed to calm the volcano down, they'll upturn every house looking for it."

"Is this yet another ploy to earn their trust, my prince?"

Hiccup chuckled, leaning forward and clamping his free hand on Savage's upper arm, gripping it in a stron grip. "I almost have the Night Fury tamed. I have her trust. This will only cement my influence further. Stoick has offered to let me stay with him, which I'll take after this and when the time comes I will slit his throat while he sleeps." He pulled away, spreading his arms. "My plans are almost at their fruition, Savage. The dragon princess thinks she's going to help me take father down when really I'll be leading her to her fate as our prisoner. It's absolutely perfect, nothing can go wrong right now!"

Fenrir snapped her head around when she heard a muffled shriek, tilting her head and trilling softly, catching her rider's attention. Hiccup lowered the hand holding the fire stone, pointing in the direction the noise came from. "Seek." The Nadder took off like a shot as a figure scrambled away in the darkness, using a boost from her wings to close the distance betwen and a foot to slam whoever it was into the sand.

"My, you do have that Nadder trained well," Savage murmured with a raised eyebrow as he followed Hiccup over to where there was a remarkably large body flailing about in the sand.

He said nothing in response and tilted his head as they drew closer, smirk forming on his lips before he squatted down, placing his arms on his legs. "Hello, Fishlegs. Out for a midnight stroll, are we?" He gave Fenrir's leg a small tap to tell her to let up slightly to let the other boy speak, tilting his head before he reached down to wrench the other boy's up by the hair. "If you scream I will gut you where you lay."

"O-okay..." Fishlegs spat sand out of his mouth, eyes darting up to look at Hiccup before they glanced away. He frowned, trying to calm himself down even though every bone in his body was telling him to scream. "I can't believe I trusted you. I can't believe _we_ trusted you."

"I take it you heard everything then?" he purred with a raised eyebrow, grinning from ear to ear. "Perfect. That narrows my options down to two."

"If you kill me they'll suspect you."

"Oh I know they will. That's why Savage is taking you back to Outcast Island." He grinned at the panicked look on Fishleg's face before he stood, letting go of the other boy's hair and placing his free hand on his hip, looking at the older viking. "Gag him. This one's a screamer."

"As you wish, sir."

"Don't do this, Hi-mmph!" Fishleg's voice was muffled as one of the other Outcasts threw a burlap sack over his head, tightening it enough to just let a little bit of air in, but the barrier did the trick of completely silencing the boy, who was then trussed up like a pig and carried back to the rowing boat once Fenrir let up on her hold on his body.

"How will you explain the boy's disappearance?" Savage looked after them where they threw the boy's struggling body into the boat before he turned his head to look at Hiccup dusting his free hand off on his dragon.

"He's always getting distracted by something. I'm sure I'll figure something out." He shrugged, grinning. "Try not to torture him too much. I think the little princess will deserve a cell mate when she graces us with her presence."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's notes:** it's a stupid thing to do when you upload a chapter on a lack of sleep and don't realize you've uploaded the wrong edited version until hours later. Trust me (a.k.a go back and reread chapter 11)

* * *

While it should have been time for the big freeze, Berk and the surrounding islands seemed to be getting warmer and warmer each day. Many of the villagers went around with their shirts off (unfortunately in some cases), and the day after Hiccup had bonded with Toothless, the heat seemed to be at its peak. Five viking teenagers sat around a lake hidden deep in the forest, stripped down to their skivvies as they tried to keep cool. It really did seem like Hiccup had been embraced by the group as a whole, even if Snotlout did keep on coming over to dunk him in to the water, which ended up in an all-out brawl between the two boys.

Astrid sighed as she lounged back against a rock, watching them with a raised eyebrow as she sunbaked next to Ruffnut, looking at the other girl as she used her foot to shove Tuffnut into the fight with a grin. "Where do you think Fishlegs is?" she asked her as Hiccup wrapped his arm around Snotlout's neck and shoved him head first under water.

"Eh, you know he can't swim," Ruffnut replied, retracting her foot as she rested back on her elbows. She tilted her head to Astrid as Snotlout struggled to get out of Hiccup's grip before he turned it around and shifted the Outcast over his head. "I bet he thought up some excuse to keep from coming."

The dragon conqueror hummed as she stretched languidly like a cat, linking her fingers together. Usually she wouldn't be so worried but she relied on Fishlegs's abundant knowledge. Something had been up with Stormfly since this morning, and she couldn't tell what. She might have been the dragon conqueror but there was no doubt that Fishlegs was a budding dragonologist. "I went to his house this morning and his mother said that he must have gone out before she got up. But it's strange - he left Meatlug behind."

"Well that _is_ weird." Ruffnut idly started braiding part of her hair, sitting up and pulling a clump over her shoulder. "He never goes anywhere without her."

"She seemed a little agitated...I say we give him until the end of the day before we start worrying though. He could have gotten distracted." Astrid raised an eyebrow to where Snotlout was struggling to keep afloat with Hiccup on the middle of his back holding him down, raising her voice. "_Hiccup_! He's gonna drown if you keep that up," she snapped, gaining the boy's attention.

"He started it," the auburn-haired Outcast said before he reluctantly kicked off, watching Snotlout splutter and shake his head and brushing wet hair out of his eyes before he shoved at Hiccup again.

"Well I'm stopping it!" Astrid slid down from her rock and into the water, coming up and wading her way over to them to pull them apart as the fight started anew. "Can't you boys just...wow, the water's a lot warmer than what I remember."

"I'll say. It felt like my throat was burning up when he was holding me down," Snotlout said, shaking water out of his ears as he glared at his cousin, who just shrugged.

"That's what happens when your lungs start to collapse."

"Why you...!"

"Enough!" Astrid placed her hands on both boy's chests and shoved them away from each other. She pursed her lips together with a frown, scooping a hand through the water before dropping it in alarm, looking at her friends. "Everybody get _out_!"

"But how're we going to keep cool?" Tuffnut whined.

"Now! Do you want to be boiled like a lobster?"

The surface of the water started to bubble and the four teenagers scrambled for the rocks surrounding the lake. Hiccup rolled onto the surface and reached to help Astrid out, watching Ruffnut pull her brother and Snotlout out of the water. The five teenagers watched the water bubble before it shot up into the air like a geyser, exploding overhead.

Astrid ran the back of her hand over her forehead, her other on her hip as she eyed her friends. "Everyone okay?"

The boys nodded and Hiccup ran his hand through his wet hair. "Is the water on Berk always this hot?" he asked, watching the angry gush of water rise and rise before it finally fell, continuing to bubble. The air around them was beginning to become stifling and they started moving away, beginning to head back to the village.

"Not usually, no." Astrid picked the hair tie from her side braid before she tied her hair up, keeping it out of her face. "We're almost due for the big freeze but it's warmer than usual. _Too_ warm. I've never seen water boil like that without being heated up from some source."

"I have." They looked towards Hiccup. "Water around volcanoes become hot springs because their temperature is so warm. When the volcano is about to erupt, the water starts boiling. Outcast Island is an old volcano that's dormant, but the lakes around the base are too warm to drink from."

"But the only volcano near Berk is a good five hours sailing distance," Tuffnut stated, his brow furrowed as he wrung out his hair. Once done, he flipped the clump over his shoulder and started on the other side. "How could it be affecting us?"

"Volcanoes have a fire stone that prevents them from erupting," Astrid explained, tapping her finger to her chin and resting her elbow on the upturned palm of her other hand. "Exterminator dragon eggs guard it from being stolen, because once you've woken them up they won't go back to sleep. They'll keep burning everything until they find the culprit and their stone."

"So someone must have stolen the fire stone belonging to the volcano near Berk." Hiccup wriggled a finger in his ear to get the water out. "And it must have happened a long time ago for it to be getting like this."

"So all we have to do is kick the butt of the guy that stole the fire stone and return it to the volcano?" Ruffnut raised an eyebrow before she lifted her hand. "I volunteer to make him hurt!"

"It could be anywhere by now if it was stolen years ago, Ruff." Astrid gave a small sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I guess the only thing we can do is ask the chief if we can look through people's houses. Preferably before the volcano erupts."

Nodding to each other, the five teenagers started quickening their pace towards the village, hoping they were going to be successful, or the entire Archipelago would be doomed.

* * *

"Aye, I've heard of fire stones." Stoick ran his forearm across his forehead as he studied the young vikings before him, brow furrowing. "I don't see what that has to do with the heat wave we're going through right now when we should be approaching the big freeze."

"Sir, the lake we were in earlier started to boil," Astrid started explaining, using her hands to elaborate what she was saying. "The volcano is getting ready to erupt any day now! Any _hour_ even! What this means is that the fire stone was stolen from it! Swarms of angry Exterminator dragons could potentially damage all wildlife around the Archipelago!"

"They'll hunt until nothing is left or they get their fire stone back," Hiccup interjected, causing Stoick to look at him. "Every single viking and village will be burnt to crisp and then there will be nothing left of our civilization. We have no choice but to ask that people upturn their houses and look for the stone." At the look on his biological father's face, he continued. "It could have been passed down as a family heirloom. It takes years for a volcano to fire up like this."

Stoick stroked his beard before he sighed, relinquishing the fact that these kids seemed to know what they were doing. "Alright. I'll send word to the Meatheads and Bog Burglars to search through their houses too. What does this stone look like?"

"Like a ruby, but brighter. It's said to have fire like qualities in its colour but it's not warm like fire."

"And once we return it to the center of the volcano, the eruption will cease?"

"Theoretically."

The chief pinched the bridge of his nose. They were going on theories. Wonderful. "Very well. I trust you lot know what you're looking for, but I will call together a meeting in the great hall to discuss it with the village in what detail I know. Don't start looking until we have everyone up to speed."

When they nodded, he walked away and Astrid turned to her friends, "Gather your dragons. Once we find this fire stone, they'll be able to withstand the heat of the volcano and return it to the center."

As they began to disperse, Hiccup turned around when he heard someone calling his name. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Gobber gesturing to him from the work shop. "I'll see you guys later." With that said, he hurried over to the older viking and upon reaching the work shop was ushered inside.

"What're they being all sneaky for?"

"Gobber must have finished Toothless' new tail," Astrid said in response to Snotlout's question, beaming as she clapped her hands together. "Perfect. That'll be one more dragon we can count on to help deliver the fire stone." At the looks on his and the twin's faces, she waved a hand. "I'll explain later. For now, let's go get ready."

* * *

Hiccup couldn't stop grinning to himself as Gobber showed him the set up. It was exactly like in his designs, right down to the red tail fin that opened up beautifully. He nodded his assessment, turning to look at him. "This is perfect."

"I made a couple of tweaks in the design," Gobber said, showing Hiccup just where those tweaks were. "Theoretically speaking, it should allow the dragon as much freedom as possible while still keeping him under your control, and with the weight of the tail, you'll be able to go faster than anything."

"Excellent." Hiccup closed the tail fin where he was making sure it straightened out and folded back in properly. Speed would be everything he'd need in order to get away from Berk should he be found out, and once he had Toothless trained he'd be unstoppable. Besides, he already had Fenrir, and she was fiercely loyal to him if last night had proven anything. "You do your job well, Gobber."

"Ah well, when you've been around for as long as I have, you pick up a few skills here and there." He patted the boy on the shoulder, moving off to another corner of the work shop to start on another project.

"Well I could hardly have made this without you, old man," he responded with a grin, earning an indignant 'hey now!' from the older viking. He tucked the gear under his arm, making a mental note to keep Gobber alive. Alvin would be pleased to have use for a man like that. No doubt that Gobber would fight back of course, but that was the fun in breaking someone into submission. The Outcast prince straightened himself, raising an eyebrow. "What do I owe you?"

"We'll call that one a freebie as long as you do what I said and consider forgiving Stoick," he called over the sound of metal being ground over the wheel as he started sharpening the blade in his hand, using his mallet hand to keep it steady.

Hiccup moved closer to hear him, frowning a bit as he shifted the contraption under his arm. "Well...I was thinking about taking up his offer to live with him."

Gobber stopped the wheel in a bit of alarm before his expression returned to normal, pursing his lips together. "As long as you're sure you can curb that urge to kill him, boy. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll have to do something to you that you won't like."

The teenager let a small smirk cross his face, expression unreadable as he shrugged. "We'll see about that." With that said, he swept out of the work shop, leaving Gobber to wonder what the heck he meant by that before he shrugged himself and went back to his real work.

* * *

The air was starting to get warmer as the villagers of Berk gathered in the great hall, the doors wide open so that they wouldn't be steamed alive. Many of them were still without their shirts, and even the teenagers wore as minimal clothing as possible, with Ruffnut and Astrid binding their chests to keep their breasts covered. Besides, they might be fighting something soon and why bother being stuck with bindings _and_ an un-breathable top?

Stoick stepped up onto the slab in the center of the room and his people quieted down, shushing at each other until they all fell silence. The chief cleared his throat, expression stern and commanding. "It has come to my attention that the cause of this unnatural heat wave that we have been experiencing over the last couple of days is because a fire stone has gone missing from the volcano to the north of the Barbaric Archipelagos." Murmurs shot up from the gathered crowd and Stoick raised his hand to silence them before he continued.

"For a volcano to get this bad, it needed to have been stolen from the volcano fifteen years or so ago. I've sent word to the Meatheads and the Bog Burglars to search their houses for a gemstone that looks like a ruby but appears to be made of fire, but we must search our houses too. Anything that could have been passed down as an heirloom through your families that sounds like the fire stone must be brought forward. Astrid and her team will fly their dragons to the center of the volcano, where they will deposit the fire stone and hopefully stop the volcano from erupting. The dragons will be able to withstand the heat to get close enough to return it. If we don't, the entire Archipelago is doomed."

The gathered vikings began talking among themselves again as Stoick stepped down, and the teenagers started leaving, pulling away from their spots at the back of the crowd. One by one, they filed out into the equally warm air of the outside, where their dragons were waiting. Hiccup picked up the gear resting at Fenrir's feet, climbing onto her. "I'm going to go put this in my camp, then I'll be back. It won't do me any good to go looking through people's houses because no doubt I'll get blamed if I find anything."

Astrid nodded. It made sense to her that people would think that when a week and a half ago he had been their enemy. Watching Hiccup take off, she was about to walk down the steps when a Gronckle came bounding up, worry clearly on her face as she whined softly, tiny ears drooping. "Meatlug! Isn't Fishlegs back yet?" A whimper was all Astrid got in response.

"Okay, I hate to admit it but I'm really getting worried," Snotlout said, crossing his arms over his chest as he pulled his hand away from where it was resting on Hookfang's neck. "That nerd barely gets up before mid-morning let alone go on walks before isunrise/i, especially without that puppy of a dragon of his."

Ruffnut reached to gently rub the bridge of Meatlug's muzzle as the tawny dragon's nostrils flared, pursing her lips together. "It _is_ strange..."

Meatlug's eyes widened before she pushed past Astrid and Ruffnut, sniffing around Tuffnut who let out a 'hey!', and then she wandered over to the spot where Hiccup and Fenrir had been, nose pressed to the ground. A growl sounded low in her throat and the other dragons let out calls of alarm. Astrid glanced from Meatlug to Stormfly, frowning deeply before she turned her attention back to the others. "You guys don't think...?"

"If Hiccup had anything to do with Fishlegs's little disappearing act, I'm going to kick his butt," Tuffnut growled out, smacking his fist into his palm. Ruffnut and Snotlout nodded in agreement and Astrid pursed her lips together.

"Maybe we're just jumping to conclusions..." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. With her friends ready to go though it didn't look like she was going to calm them down. "Look, we'll just ask Hiccup if he saw Fishlegs this morning, and that will be it. If he says no, then that's fine. If he says yes, that's no reason to attack him. We'll hear him out. But first we have to find this fire stone. We won't be able to find Fishlegs if the entire Archipelago goes up in flaming lava."

With her friends satisfied, Astrid turned away from them and began walking down the steps leading to the great hall on the path towards the plaza, her brow furrowed in confusion. It was true that Hiccup wasn't exactly one of them, but still, she liked to think the best of him since his apparent turning over a new leaf. Putting off finding Fishlegs for now seemed to be the best choice. After all, he couldn't have gone very far, could he?

* * *

Once he had put Toothless's new prosthetic in his camp, Hiccup took off on Fenrir again, his hands gripping her saddle. The higher they went, the warmer the air, so he nudged her to stick to lower grounds, just above tree level. He scowled, sneer curling on his upper lip as his mind rolled over what he'd heard them say when he'd had Fenrir hover behind the great hall. "I should have gutted the fatty when I had the chance," he snarled, knowing how worried they were starting to get over their missing friend. At least a death was easy to push off onto others. Capturing the boy's dragon would have been ideal too but he hadn't been about to risk waking up a hundred vikings just for one dragon. His fingers dug in in a white knuckled grip and Fenrir cooed softly, feeling her rider's anger. "Looks like my plans might have to speed up."

Damn it. Oh well. The important thing was to get Toothless into the air right now. After he delivered a little something. He nudged Fenrir to bank a left, circling over the forest behind the mountain and upward, towards the landing where Mildew's cottage was. The boy slid from his dragon once she was about to land, feet landing on the soft earth near the edge of the old man's cabbage field before he walked over to the house. Considering the bad mood he was in, he didn't bother knocking, instead just throwing the door open without much ceremony. "Where are you, you old hag?"

Mildew just about jumped where he was standing over a cauldron of a pot, stirring something that smelled like dragon barf before he closed the lid over it. Fungus bleated, hiding behind his human. "What do you want inow/i, boy?" It was a good thing he'd closed the lid over the pot, because he nearly fumbled with the small sack Hiccup tossed him at the question. Finally, Mildew closed gnarled old fingers around it, tilting the sack up and dropping the fire stone into his palm. His eyes widened upon seeing the fire stone, nearly dropping it in shock. "This is a...!"

Hiccup grinned wickedly, tilting his head to crack his neck as he rolled his shoulders. "A fire stone. Good, you recognize it. I shouldn't have to explain what it does, or why I'm passing it to you."

"Ohhhh no. I am _not_ taking the fall for you again, boy!"

Removing the dagger that he'd bartered from Trader Johann from the holster on his belt, Hiccup tossed it up into the air, catching it by the handle. "I wouldn't test my mood today, Mildew," he purred dangerously, free hand coming to rest on his hip as he drew his other up the handle of his dagger. "I'm in a particularly bad one, I'm afraid. One that will only be quenched by the sight of blood." He closed the distance between them, backing him into a wall holding four portraits as Fungus watched on, bleating pathetically. Mildew held his breath as he felt a blade dig into his neck, head tilting as far away as possible from the axe as Hiccup dug it in, the corners of his mouth lifting viciously as his eyes danced with bloodlust. "It's been so long..."

As the blade continued to dig further into shriveled skin, a whimper left Mildew's throat as the fire stone clattered to the floor with the first draw of blood. "STOP! Stop it!" Hiccup's knife hand stilled and he let out a shaky breath. "I'll do it. I'll do what you want."

"Mmm...you'll have to convince me a bit more than that," he murmured, beginning to move the blade again. His free hand came up, curling around Mildew's collar as he pressed him hard against the wall behind him. The dagger started to drag downward in a torturous motion, intent on causing pain before the curve of the blade left, only the tip of the end digging in. He leaned in, watching the way the blood trickled down as he licked his lips. "How long has it been since you've gained a new scar, Mildew? Ten? Twenty years? I'll be more than happy to give you the slave mark."

"Y-you need me to take the fall for ya, don't you, boy?" Mildew's fingers scrabbled at the rock behind him that served as the back wall to his house, the sharper edges causing them to bleed as his heart started beating wildly in his chest. Even an old man like him knew that the slave mark was something that could not be removed, that would be there until he finally kicked the bucket. He hurried on as he felt the blade cut further down and Hiccup pinned him rougher against the wall, intent on keeping him there. Of all the days to be shirtless. "How much good will I be to ya dead?"

"Nobody will find you for weeks because nobody will come looking for you," Hiccup purred, watching the way blood pooled around the tip of his dagger and started flowing down, tilting his head as dark green eyes flickered up to meet frightened grey blue ones. "I could take my time killing you. Keep you here for idays/i, tied up, kill your precious sheep in front of you and make you eat it. There's a reason why I earned and keep my name, you know. I'd be more than happy to show you how."

All of a sudden, though, Hiccup pulled away, letting his dagger twist in the skin at the center of Mildew's chest, grinning nastily as the old man cried out. "I'm afraid if this volcano erupts though I won't have weeks to toy with you." He pulled the knife away, mouth stretched from ear to ear as he licked the blade tip into his mouth, careful not to cut his tongue. "Better clean up, old man, otherwise questions will be raised. And we don't want questions, do we?"

"N-no we don't." Mildew's hands clamped around the line of blood trailing from his neck down to his chest, swallowing deeply.

"Good boy. See how things are so much easier when you're agreeable?" He reached forward, pinching a warty cheek between two fingers and tugging on the flesh there before he pulled away and turned around, drawing the dagger from his mouth. He twirled the dagger around his fingers before sheathing it, bloodlust seemingly quenched for now. "I trust you know what to do."

"Yes..."

"Excellent. Don't mess this up, otherwise I will follow through on my threats, Mildew."


	13. Chapter 13

Astrid frowned to herself as she crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against Stormfly's leg. They'd been looking through everyone's house, a thorough search from high and low, and yet nothing had been found that even remotely looked like a fire stone from Hiccup's description. Family heirlooms that resembled jewels had been brought forward, even those that had jewels imbedded in them. The heat just seemed to be getting worse with every hour that passed, which seemed to set off everybody's irritation. Fights had broken out over the smallest things and they all seemed to have just about had enough of each other.

"Think, guys." Ruffnut tilted her head to the side where she sat on Barf's neck, draped over the twin's dragon much like Tuffnut was. "Who's house haven't we investigated?"

"It's too hot to think," Snotlout whined from where he was draped on his back over a rock. A familiar pair of boots came into his vision just then and he nearly yelped, meaning to roll onto his front but missing and rolling off the rock entirely, crashing into Hookfang's side.

"Hello to you too." Hiccup raised an eyebrow at his cousin, who picked himself up and dusted himself off. When he noticed the way the other four vikings were looking at him strangely, he frowned. "What's with the faces?"

Astrid pursed her lips together, wondering how to word things without sounding accusatory. "Hiccup...we were just wondering if..."

"You did something to Fishlegs, didn't you?"

"What?" Hiccup looked alarmed at the accusation thrown at him from Tuffnut, who was pointing at him as he slid off of Belch's neck, tumbling off in about the same way Snotlout had tumbled off his rock. His eyebrows raised before they lowered as he placed his hands on his hips. "Oh I see how it is. Your little friend goes missing and you immediately blame me."

"We're not blaming you-"

"Heck yeah we are." Snotlout straightened his shoulders, apparently feeling a bit more confident now that he had back up and he moved to stand in front of Hiccup, prodding a finger into his chest. "Where were you last night?"

"Asleep in my camp like everyone else!" he snarled, shoving the poking finger away and standing his ground. Hiccup growled low in his throat. "I'll even take you there and you can see for yourself. I didn't do _anything_ to Fishlegs."

"Then how come Meatlug smelled him on you?" Ruffnut hated to admit it, but even she was more worried about their large friend by now than trusting an outsider. She crossed her arms over her chest after getting off her dragon, coming to stand next to her brother. "She came sniffing around the spot where you and Fenrir were after you left earlier and she must have smelled him because she went berserk."

He rolled his eyes with a sigh. "He asked me about the flora on Outcast Island last night after dinner and I was around him for a bit before I went back to my camp. That doesn't mean I did anything!" With the looks he was getting from the twins and his cousin, he turned his head to look at Astrid imploringly. "You believe me, don't you, princess?"

Astrid bit her bottom lip, chewing on it softly. She really wanted to believe him. Really she did. They didn't have much evidence to stack up against him other than the fact that he used to be an Outcast. Lifting a hand, she used it to rub at her temples. "I believe you." Her friends looked at her incredulously before she held up her hand. "Everyone's temper is flaring up because of the heat. If Hiccup says he didn't do it, then I believe him."

"And here I thought he was kidding when he said you guys didn't have much faith in him." Hiccup shook his head with a small sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "I can see why if you jump to conclusions like this."

Ruffnut frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "Uh, duh, of course we do. He's the smartest guy around." She honestly didn't know what he meant by that. She had faith in Fishlegs - he might not be the best fighter and more of a pacifist but he was their knowledge source on dragons next to the Book of Dragons. He observed, Astrid put it into play. That was how they worked.

With a small sigh he shook his head before Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder. "What did he mean by that? Of course we have faith in and appreciate him, and if he was here I'd tell him that myself."

"Who knows?" Hiccup shrugged a bit, feigning worry. The last thing he needed was for these guys to get a clue that Fishlegs was on Outcast Island or that he was responsible for it. He raised an eyebrow. "Did you find the fire stone?"

"No. We checked everywhere in the village." The dragon conqueror sighed and lifted her hand from his shoulder, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "The chief heard back from the Bog Burglars and the Meatheads and they haven't found anything either."

"What about that old house out behind the hill? The one I've seen from Fenrir's back? Does anybody live there?"

Astrid's brow furrowed as she pursed her lips together. She looked at the others. "Did anybody check Mildew's house?" When they slowly shook their heads, she frowned deeper before she pointed to Snotlout and the twins. "You guys go pay the old man a visit. Don't antagonize him, just focus on finding the fire stone." With simultaneous nods from the trio, she watched them take off before she turned her attention back to Hiccup, a small apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry about that. I told them not to right out accuse you or anything but they..."

"It's fine." He shook his head and held up his hands. "Nice to know I'm still an outsider as far as they're concerned. And here we were getting along so well this morning."

"I guess the heat must be getting to them." She bit her bottom lip, gnawing on it before she continued, crossing her arms as she glanced back at him. "What...what else did he say to you when you were talking to him?"

"Oh all sorts of things." Hiccup shrugged. He'd have to pick his words carefully, considering she'd known the other boy all her life and would probably be able to pick up on anything he told her if she figured out he was lying. "Like how he felt underappreciated for all the work that he did, how you got all the credit for finding out new things about dragons."

"But he knows we split the credit equally." Astrid's frown deepened as she studied the Outcast

"Other people might not see it that way," he said, using his hands to elaborate as he started circling around her, watching her twist to follow his movements. "To outside islands, you're known as the dragon conqueror, the one who killed the queen and ended the three hundred year war. Stories about you say that you're ten feet tall with the strength of a dozen men. No mention of a diminutive boy like Fishlegs helping you out, not even as a page or anything." Hiccup tucked his arms behind his back, raising an eyebrow as he stopped in front of her and leaned in, smirking lightly. "I admit I was a little surprised myself when you stepped onto my stage and stole the spotlight. You certainly aren't ten feet tall, and I certainly wasn't expecting you to be so cute."

Astrid felt her face heat up at the boy's last few words, her face scrunching up a bit as she found herself unable to move back much without bumping into the side of a rock. She reached up to tuck her side braid behind her ear, keeping eye contact. "...You really think I'm cute?"

"Possibly one of the cutest girls I've ever seen," he purred, reaching up to take hold of her chin, his thumb brushing along the very edge of her lower lip. "And I've never really seen a lot of girls during raids." Hiccup raised dark green eyes to meet hers, brow quirking. "Strong and beautiful...you really do live up to your name, Astrid."

When his mouth closed around hers, she felt herself grow still, feeilng as though her heart was about to thump out of her chest with the way it was beating faster by the second. It was soft, chaste, both teens fumbling a bit with inexperience before he pulled away after a minute, tongue sliding out to lick his lips like a dragon that landed in dragon-nip. Astrid stared at him for a moment before she pulled her fist back and punched him in the arm, still flushing brightly.

He pulled back in an instant, hand going to the arm that she'd punched. "Ow! Jeez, what was that for? I was just giving you a compliment!"

"_That's_ for kissing me without my permission," she snapped, pulling her hand back to run her fingers through her bangs, smoothing them to the side. Her stomach churned with unknown feelings, feelings that she'd been trying to decipher since their first flight together. Watching him shake his head with a roll of his eyes, she reached to take hold of his shoulder, leaning in to press her own chaste kiss to his mouth. He stared at her while she did it, because after a second or two she let go. "That's for...for everything else."

"Seriously, is it always going to be like this?"

She opened her mouth to respond before she was interrupted by a shout, looking up to see Snotlout and the twins coming back. Hiccup pulled away from her to go and stand some distance away as they landed their dragons in the clearing, but none of them slid from their dragon's necks and as Berk's heir pulled a gemstone from a small sack tied to his belt, they could soon see why.

The red on Astrid's face left as she ran over to her friends, holding her hand out for the fire stone. "You found it!"

"Mildew didn't want to hand it over," Tuffnut said as Snotlout tossed it to her, watching her catch it from where he was leaning over between Belch's horns. The male twin cracked his knuckles, grinning. "We made him see reason."

"I told you guys not to antagonize him. Now he's going to complain to Stoick." She sighed a little as she studied the gem in her hands, brushing her thumb over it as Hiccup came up behind her, leaning over her shoulder to look. Astrid glanced at him out the corner of her eye, holding it up for him to see. "Is this it?"

"That's a fire stone all right." He picked it out of her hands, looking it over as Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff high fived each other, earlier animosity forgotten. Hiccup handed it back to Astrid, nodding. "Return that to the center of the volcano and the threatening eruption should cease and the weather will go back to normal."

Astrid nodded, pocketing the gemstone in a pouch attached to her own belt before she looked up at her friends. "Get ready to go into the center of the volcano, you guys. We'll need flasks of water because you can bet that it'll be hard to breathe in there." She turned her head to look at him again. "Are you gonna come with us?"

He shook his head, pulling away. "I'll stay behind. If anything happens to you guys and the fire stone doesn't get delivered..."

She pursed her lips together. It wasn't a pretty image to think about but he was right. Someone would need to stay behind and help get everyone onto as many dragons as possible. "Right." She hesitated a little before she leaned over to kiss him, earning raised eyebrows from her friends and an 'ooooooooh' from Ruffnut. When she pulled away, there was an equally shocked look on Hiccup's face before she ducked her head. "Stay safe."

"You too, princess." He reached up to brush some hair from her face before he pulled his hand away and began heading to the great hall as she headed over to Stormfly, getting up on her dragon and walking her over to the other three teenagers.

"Well I guess now we know what happens when you guys disappear to 'train his dragon'." Snotlout waggled his eyebrows before he was hit hard in the shoulder. The subject was dropped and she kicked Stormfly off and up into the air, followed closely by her friends. They had a mission to do and they weren't going to fail.

* * *

Hiccup paced around the grass area just outside of the hall, arms tucked behind his back as he wore a ditch into the ground. Fenrir sat nearby, preening herself before she looked up worriedly at her master every now and then. He was certainly acting strange. Letting a frustrated noise leave him, Hiccup ran his hands through his hair, head tilting back to look at the sky.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," he snapped to himself under his breath, hearing a whine coming from his dragon before she trilled in concern. "This wasn't part of my plan. I wasn't _supposed_ to...whatever this feeling is! I wasn't supposed to feel _anything_ for the dragon conqueror. _I_ was the one luring her in, not her to me! What type of spell has that blasted woman placed on me?"

"What woman?" Hiccup nearly jumped out of his skin before he turned around, sighing a little when he saw Stoick there. The look on the older man's face said that he'd only heard the last part and a small relief flooded the boy's body as the chief tilted his head in interest. "Who are you talking about, son?"

He didn't bother correcting him, instead he let his hand drop to the back of his neck, sighing a little. "It's not your concern but...Astrid. She kissed me and I'm...she did _something_ to me!" He threw his hands up in frustration. "I don't know what this feeling in my chest is and it's absolutely _frustrating_!" Hiccup watched Stoick's face scrunch up before he burst into laughter, sneer curling on his upper lip. "What's so funny?"

Stoick waited until he calmed himself down, closing the distance between them and placing a hand on his shoulder, expecting the boy to pull away but when he didn't, he squeezed it. "You're feeling love, Hiccup," he said with a bit of a chuckle, although it worried him that his son didn't know what love was.

"Love?" His brow furrowed in confusion. "What is that, some kind of Berk disease?" The question just made Stoick laugh harder and Hiccup crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for his biological father to calm down.

"I suppose you could say it's a bit like a disease," the elder Haddock said once he'd cleared his throat, pulling his hand away from Hiccup's shoulder as his eyebrows came together in a frown. "Didn't Alvin teach you anything on that sort of subject?"

Hiccup shook his head. "He focused on making me a viking, a...a dragon killer. He said things like love was for the weak and told me never to fall in love."

Stoick's shoulders sagged with a small sigh, placing two fingers to his temple and rubbing it. No doubt Alvin had never shown Hiccup anything like love either. The next time he saw the Outcast chief, he'd be answering a few things for his fists in regards to how he'd raised his boy. He leaned down so he was eye level with Hiccup, giving him a small smile. "Hiccup, love is like a disease soometimes but it doesn't make you iweak/i for loving someone. It can make you stronger, give you purpose and fuel you in a way you've never known. I loved your mother dearly. I would have done anything for her. Climbed to the highest peak, fought Gods, heck I would have even gone into the pit of a volcano and taken a fire stone if she had wanted it so." He chuckled. "Gobber and I became friends because he hit on her and I beat him up for it."

The Outcast wrinkled his nose, lip curling in disgust. "It makes you sound like a fool."

"Perhaps." Stoick inclined his head before he stood to his regular height. "But there are some that say you have to be a fool to fall in love in the first place."

"So love is a disease two people share..." Hiccup pursed his lips together, frowning. It didn't even make sense.

"It can also be something felt between friends and family." Stoick placed a hand on his hip and gestured to his son. "I noticed you've been making friends with your cousin and the twins and the Ingerman boy. That kind of love isn't as strong as what you feel towards someone else like Astrid, but it's there."

He raised an eyebrow. There was no sense in telling him that there was no love felt or lost between him and the other four teenagers, all this considered. "And familial love? What does that entail?"

The chief paused, looking at the boy with a look of mild concern before he tilted his head. "Did Alvin ever tell you he was proud of you?"

Hiccup opened his mouth to respond before he closed it, eyes looking as though he was searching his memory before he glanced off to the side, looking as confused as ever. Had Alvin ever told him he was proud of him? He couldn't recall. "Never."

Stoick felt his hands clench into fists, but he was mostly angry with himself instead of Alvin. His boy had gone through fifteen years of his life not knowing what love was or being told that his caretaker (Stoick refused to acknowledge that man at his adoptive father) was proud of him, and all because he had followed tradition. Noticing the boy refused to look at him, he placed his hand on his shoulder, making green eyes look back at him, confusion evident on his face. "Hiccup," he started, lowering himself once again and taking hold of both of his son's shoulders, engulfing them in large hands. "I have no place to say this, but I'm proud of you. You survived, you adapted, you...you grew in ways that I could never have imagined a hiccup growing. I'm proud of you, and I know your mother would be too if she were here."

For a moment, Hiccup looked as though he didn't want to believe Stoick when he said those words. His eyes searched the man's face for evidence - of what, Stoick didn't know, maybe he thought he was lying - but when he reached Stoick's gaze again and saw nothing he closed his eyes, shoulders tightening under the older man's grip. When he reared his arm back, Stoick knew what was coming but made no move to stop him. The fist that connected to his cheek was full of pent up anger and hate - things that Alvin must have spent years cultivating in his boy - and the force nearly made Stoick move back.

Hiccup was shaking for some reason, he realized as he pulled his hand back to his side, clenching his hands into fists. He heard someone shout in alarm and lifted his head to see Gobber running over to them in a lop-sided sprint. His eyes still wide and wild from the confession, he backed away straight into Fenrir, who tilted her head down to coo softly and rub her cheek against his. Without much of a word and looking like a frightened rabbit, he turned to climb onto her back as Gobber moved to help Stoick stand up, blood and anger rushing through his veins too much to hear the blonde man yell at him to wait before she bolted up into the sky, far away from Berk.

"What was that all about?" Gobber asked his best friend as he watched the boy take off on the back of his dragon. He watched Stoick sigh, shoulders sagging as the years seemed to return to the other man's face as he rubbed the cheek that had been hit, feeling the inside of his mouth and pulling his hand away, looking at the blood on his fingers from where he'd bitten the inside.

"Every time I try to bridge the gap, he reacts like a...a caged animal." Stoick wiped his hand off on his pants and shook his head before he looked at Gobber with a deep frown. "Alvin never told him he was proud of him. I...I guess I was just trying to let him know that even though I hadn't raised him like I should have, I still was, and that Val would be too."

Gobber drew his hand down his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're being too forward with the boy," he said finally, bushy blonde eyebrow lifting as he clapped his hand on Stoick's shoulder, gesturing to him with his hook hand. "_You_ need to wait for him to come to you, and he will when he's good and ready."

"I certainly hope he will, Gobber." The chief lifted his head to look up at the sky, unable to see his son except for a speck on the horizon. "I just hope Alvin's influence doesn't run too deep."

* * *

Fenrir landed in a clearing just off from the camp, her rider sliding from her back as she tucked her wings in, watching him with a little concern. Hiccup pulled his axe from his back, taking a couple of skipping steps forward before he threw it at a nearby tree out of frustration. Whether it was at himself or at Stoick he didn't know. All he cared about was the fact that it was making a dent in the trunk and curing his growing anger and rage.

"You-" -thunk!- "-stupid-" -thunk!- "_imbicile_!"

Hiccup's shoulders were heaving by the time he was done with the tree, axe still lodged in trunk before he yanked it back out, breathing heavily and swallowing warm air as he rolled his shoulders. He threw his axe down into the earth blade-first, running sweaty fingers through his hair, body shaking.

"You can't afford to fall in love, you fool."

He needed to speed up his plans. And fast.

* * *

**Author's notes:** dun dun duuuuuuun. Don't worry, kids, this isn't the end of our lovely antagonist :D he's just dealing with an existential crisis and nearly BSODing. He'll be back to his usual evil self in a few chapters


	14. Chapter 14

The air was beginning to cool down as Astrid and the others made their way back to Berk, their mission a success and feeling pretty pleased with themselves. With one of their number missing, though, celebrating felt weird, and the ride back home was quiet. Even Snotlout didn't feel like boasting and making his part in the plan seem bigger than it had been.

Of course, there were other things on Astrid's mind, a nagging feeling in the back of her head. Why had Hiccup known what the fire stone looked like? Vikings weren't exactly known for their studious habits, but he seemed to be both smart and a good fighter. Her thoughts went back to Fishlegs. Fishlegs knew he could talk to her about anything, no matter how small or idiotic he felt it. Why hadn't he spoken to her about feeling underappreciated and felt the need to confide in Hiccup? And more importantly, where had he gotten to?

"Something isn't right." Noticing questioning looks out the corner of her eye, she shook her head, waving a hand. "Never mind, it's nothing." Feeling Ruffnut reach over and nudge her from Barf's head, she sighed. "It's nothing, Ruff. Leave it. I'm just thinking out loud to myself." The female twin shrugged in a 'suit yourself' manner before she turned her head back. Astrid bit her bottom lip in thought, frowning to herself before she started veering off from her friends. When they went to follow her, she waved them off. "You guys go back. I've got something I want to do."

Once she was sure they weren't following her and had turned back in the direction of Berk, she kicked Stormfly into high gear, circling the island away from the village. For a moment she almost directed Stormfly to Mildew's before she banked a little more to the right, steering her towards the part of the forest where she knew Hiccup's camp was. If she wanted answers, she was going to get them straight from the source.

She ended up finding him in the cove, looking worn out like she did after practicing with her axe and strapping Toothless's prosthetic onto his tail while the Night Fury greedily gobbled down a full basket of fish all by himself. The black dragon looked up when he heard her slide down into the valley, ear flaps pinned back before he crooned softly and Hiccup sat up on his knees, testing the tail fin by opening it up, tugging on the pulley attached to it from the stirrup. The anger that he might have been lying to her vanished when she saw what he was doing, though it was still stirring underneath as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Going for a test flight are we?"

If he was looking any more suspicious than he did, she would have sworn he was hiding something. He nearly jumped at her voice, looking over his shoulder at her with a raised eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon, princess." Hiccup pushed himself off the ground and dusted himself off, walking around Toothless's side and coming to stand next to him, mimicking her pose. "What if I was?"

"I thought we were going to go together." She stepped a little closer, lowering her hands to her hips as she raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. She could see him looking her over - at the burn marks along her legs and arms from where some of the lava had hit her, the ash still on her face and her hair in a messy bun. Without a word, he walked over to her, taking hold of one of her hands in spite of her noise of protest and leading her over to the rain water. He sat her down on a rock, placing his hand on her knee to force her to sit there and she watched him pull a cloth out of the small satchel at his hip, dipping it into the water. "Hey, they're fi-" Astrid hissed when the wet cloth met her skin, nearly jerking her hand out of his hold. His grip was firm though, and she clenched her hand around his as he started cleaning her burn marks.

"You should have just sent your dragon in, princess," Hiccup said, making sure that the cloth was wet before it glided along the next. Surprisingly enough, the water from the rain pool wasn't warm like the water of the lake had been, but a nice cool feel. He chalked it up to it not having a natural source. "She would have been able to-"

"Why do you care so much?" He looked up at the question, eyebrows raising in a bit of surprise as she stared down at him, looking a bit embarrassed that she'd just blurted it out. Astrid frowned, attempting to feel angry. "One minute you seem like you don't care at all. I can never tell whether or not you're lying to get on my good side. I don't even know if you're telling the truth about not knowing what happened to Fishlegs." Hiccup dabbed the wet cloth on another burn, lowering his gaze back to her arm where he tilted his head in thought. "You only seem to want to antagonize me and then you go calling me things like "princess"... I don't understand you, Hiccup."

He gave a small sigh as he pulled his hands away, remaining knelt in front of her as he bit his bottom lip, chewing on it softly. His training hadn't prepared him for this, not even his nastiest plan could cover him. Hiccup took hold of her hand, brushing his thumb over her fingers. "I was...supposed to lead you back to Outcast Island." The look of betrayal on her face said everything but he held up his free hand, asking to continue before she said anything. "I was supposed to lure you into a false sense of security, supposed to get you to trust me. I had nothing to do with Fishlegs's disappearance, that was all Savage's idea." The lie fell as easily from his lips as a rehersed play as he looked at her as regretfully as he could. "I didn't plan on falling in love with you."

"I can't believe you!" Astrid stood from where she was sitting, wirling around on her foot and starting to head for the entrance to the cove before he caught her by the wrist, wrapping his fingers around it as she attempted to struggle away from him. "Let me go! Let me go, you...! Stormfl-!" His other hand clamped around her mouth to keep her from screaming for her dragon.

"_Listen_ to me," Hiccup said desperately, keeping up with her struggle before she finally gave up and stomped her foot on the ground, scooting his feet away from her so that he wasn't within foot crushing distance. "Please." The word sounded so foreign on his tongue but it made her still, glancing out the corner of her eye at him. When her struggling ceased, he let go of her, pulling back as she turned around and slugged him in the shoulder, causing him to reach up and rub it. "Okay, I deserved that."

"So everything...everything was a _lie_?"

"Yes! But only in the beginning." He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. "The attack was staged to get you to trust me. After that, I was on my own. I...you made me feel things I've never felt before, _taught_ me things that can't be learned in the kill ring. I really wanted to help your dragons recover from the Blue Oleander poisoning, I wanted to help Toothless get back into the air...living in Berk, it's like a whole new world opened up to me."

"And how can I be sure that you're not lying to me now?" Astrid crossed her arms over her chest, studying him with a new critical eye now that he'd shed some light on things. She was expecting him to tell another lie, to dig his grave deeper. She wasn't expecting him to pull his dagger from his belt and toss it away and then pull his axe from his back and hand it over to her handle first. Hesitating, she took it, looking at it questioningly before looking back at him. Hiccup looked like he was shaking, but he held his head up and squared his shoulders, tilting it back to expose his neck, making her stare at him with wide eyes. "What are you...?"

"I'm giving you the opportunity to kill me, Astrid," he said, hands curling at his side as he closed his eyes. "Strike me down if you want, so that I may never tell another lie, or let me live, and trust that I won't."

There was silence between them for a moment, a long, pregnant pause as Astrid weighed her options in her hands. The axe felt heavy in her fingers as she looked at him, searching for any signs that he was once again lying to her. When she couldn't find any, she closed her eyes and threw the axe in the direction that he'd thrown his dagger, and he opened his own eyes when he heard it clatter to the ground, turning his head to watch it before he looked back at her, watching her place her head in her hands.

"I don't know if I should trust you again," she finally said, running her fingers through her hair before looking at him as he lowered his arms and shoulders. She looked at him, pursing her lips together. "I don't know if I'm being played again or if you're being sincere, but I won't be able to get Fishlegs back without you." Astrid lowered her hand to rub at her neck, glancing away as a bright blush coloured her cheeks. "I...I'm probably a fool for letting you go like this." When she looked back up at him, her expression lightening. "Don't make me regret it."

He let a look of relief wash over his face, though how much of that relief he actually felt was true. Hiccup gave a small sigh and inclined his head, smiling slightly. "You won't." _You're such a fool._ "I promise."

"Swear it to me." At the look on Hiccup's face, Astrid wandered over to pick up his dagger where it had fallen, picking it up with a small twirl of it around her fingers as she turned and walked back over, the tip of the blade between her fingers as she handed it to him. "Swear by blood that you will never lie to me again."

Hiccup reached to take the blade from her, looking at her curiously as he did so, eyebrow raised. "You want me to make a blood pact, princess?" he asked, fingers flexing in his free hand. "You want me to swear my life to yours?"

"It shouldn't be too hard for you." Astrid crossed her arms, looking at him expectantly. It was a desperate move, she knew, but how else would she know if she could trust him? "Go on. If you're really telling the truth, you'll-"

She didn't get to finish that sentence.

Blood dripped down from Hiccup's palm, sliding along the flesh and dripping down his fingertips. She stared in slight shock, watching him raise his hand to lick blood from his fingers and eyeing her in a way that unnerved her before he held his hand out again. "My life is yours, princess."

Astrid wasn't sure how she wanted to feel about that. She looked at his hand again before she coughed into her own, giving a small sigh. "Right. Well. We're going to take Toothless for a test drive. And then you're going to help me get Fishlegs back."

"As you command." He gave a low sweep of a mocking bow.

"Oh shut it."

Well this certainly put a damper in his plans, but on the upside, she had to trust him unconditionally now. He watched her walk around him and smirked when she had her back to him, picking his cloth up from the ground and wrapping it around his hand, tying it with his teeth before he followed her over to Toothless. Things should start getting...interesting...


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's notes:** ahhhhh I suggest not eating while reading this chapter if you're squeamish. There's some mild depictions of cannibalism in here.

Seriously. Don't eat.

* * *

"I told you to go left! What were you thinking?" Astrid threw her hands up as she slid off of Toothless's back, feet touching the ground with a sigh of relief. The test flight had gone about as well as expected. Hiccup hated to admit it, but Gobber's adjustments to his tail designs had probably saved their lives at least a couple of times. He waited for her to get off the Night Fury before he followed suit, running a hand through his hair and placing his free one on his hip as he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"It wasn't my idea! That was all Toothless!" Said dragon gave him a look as though to say 'hey, don't blame me, you're the backseat flyers here' before wandering over to the rainwater lake, and Hiccup returned it with a raised eyebrow. "You should have leaned right when I said to." He shook his head. "Anyway, we're alive, right?"

"Barely." Astrid shook her head and turned her attention back to him, studying him curiously. It was during times like this that he seemed like an actual teenager, though now she knew that at the most it had been an act. She pursed her lips together, biting her bottom one before she crossed her arms before she glanced at the dragon. "Do you think he'll be able to fly to Outcast Island without a problem?"

Hiccup blinked at her before he turned his attention to Toothless, raising his hand to his chin and rubbing it. "Even if he could, we'd still have to take three dragons. I highly doubt he could carry all three of us." He looked at her out the corner of his eye. "What are you thinking, princess?"

She was quiet for a minute, weighing her options in her head before she started pacing, using both of her hands to elaborate. "On one hand we could storm their stronghold, but that would put Fishlegs in danger of being used as a shield."

"Father would have everyone expecting an attack from the air by now," he said, dropping the hand that had been on his chin to his chest where he crossed his arms. "And Fishlegs would be in the underground cells where we keep our dragons and prisoners."

"So an air raid is out of the question." Then she'd be better off leaving Snotlout and the twins out of this. Smaller numbers were probably the more ideal thing anyway, and they probably wouldn't want to work with Hiccup anyway once they learned that he'd been lying to them. Honestly, she was wondering why ishe/i was working with him, but then she remembered the blood pact that she'd made him take before the flight. She realized that he was watching her again and glanced up, noticing the look on his face. "What is it?"

"Why not follow through with my original plan?" At the expression she gave him at the question, he held up his right hand, unwrapping the cloth from around it to show her the slice he'd made earlier. The blood had stopped flowing, sitting just along the line and a pink tinge on the flesh around it. He hadn't cut a major vein or anything but it still unnerved her when she remembered the calm look on his face when he'd sliced himself open. "I was supposed to take you back to Outcast Island anyway. Why not use it to our advantage? I could make it seem like I was bringing you there to be captured, they'll probably put you in Fishlegs's cell, no doubt there'd be a celebration on my return. Once everyone's good and drunk I'll grab the keys and we can make it back to Berk before they wake up."

Astrid rolled the plan over in her head, frowning deeply. She hated to admit it, but that was probably their best bet. It certainly made sense to her, even if handing herself over to the Outcasts was...well, risky. For obvious reasons. As though he took notice of her expression at the thought, he shrugged. "Let's be honest - your chances of succeeding with Jorgenson and the twins are about as slim as Thor striking me down where I stand. They're warriors, yes, but they're not ready to go against Alvin's maurauders. The loudmouthed male twin would give the plan away in an instant and I highly doubt Jorgenson's Nightmare would obey him long enough to inot/i set itself on fire from what I've seen. The female twin I have some hope for but she wouldn't come without her brother I'm sure."

Hiccup started circling her, one arm tucked behind his back as he waved his free hand in the air. At her raised eyebrow, he raised his own. "Do you really think I've been sitting by twiddling my thumbs for the last two weeks? I've been observing the way you and your friends interact with each other and your dragons. You make a good team when you ido/i manage to work together but if you want to get Fishlegs out of there alive, you want someone who can navigate Outcast Island and get you in and out without a problem, not a bunch of sheep who can't be herded in the right direction."

Her shoulders sagged with a small sigh as she reached up to rub one, nodding at his assessment of the situation. "I guess you're right. Then we'll meet here in a couple of hours and fly there under the cover of night. That'll give us both enough time to get ready." After his nod of confirmation, she hesitated for a minute, looking like she was going to say something, before she started walking away from him, exiting the cove.

Once he was sure she was gone, Hiccup chuckled to himself, grin crossing his face as he shook his head, shoulders shaking with mirth. "My my, little princess, putting yourself in the hands of someone who's lied to you again and again. I suppose you're not as smart as I gave you credit for being..." Yes, he was back on the right track, and it felt good.

He ignored the nagging voice in the back of his head as he approached Toothless, preparing to take a test flight by himself. The Night Fury eyed him with a bit of distrust, but he remained where he was rather than go bounding off again, tail swaying side to side as the human got on him. He'd let him ride him, if only because at the moment there seemed to be no other option. He couldn't move the metal contraption he'd put on his tail in place of his missing fin on his own, so an alliance must be formed, much to his distaste.

Although he had to admit, he didn't like the way the boy's face changed when the female's back was turned. Best not to meddle in the affairs of humans, his mother had always told him, and with that thought, he took off into the sky again, this time with just the boy on his back.

* * *

They met in the cove as Astrid had suggested, as the sun was on its last few minutes. He didn't ask what she'd told her friends, but the expression on her face was an unreadable one as she tossed him a bread roll, placing two fish each in front of his dragons and tossing what looked to be chicken meat up into the air for her Nadder to snatch. He watched her curiously from where he leaned against Toothless, knees drawn up and resting his arms on them as he idly picked at the bread in his hand. He hadn't gained much of a taste for it during his time in Berk, finding it far less appealing when compared to ripping flesh from bone with his teeth.

"Said your goodbyes, princess?" Hiccup asked, standing from where he was sitting and brushing his hands off after feeding the remaining parts of the bread roll to his dragons, who seemed all too eager to wolf it down.

"I haven't told anyone where we're going if that's what you mean," she said as she checked she had everything in the satchel draped across her shoulder. Astrid glanced up at him, noticing he was dressed in his Outcast garb instead of the clothing that he'd bartered from other people, and she tried not to stare. The shoulder guards made him look bigger than he actually was, like a Terror puffing itself up to ward off bigger dragons. Now that she knew how skinny and underfed he looked underneath, she had to admit that the armor and chainmail made him seem far more intimidating than he actually looked with it all off.

"Then I guess we're good to go." He tugged at Toothless's saddle to make sure it was on tight enough before doing the same to Fenrir's, giving her a neck rub before he turned around to slide into position on Toothless's back, looking over his shoulder as he made sure that the connecting rod was still working. Turning his attention to look at Astrid as she checked Stormfly's equipment, he watched the way the rising moonlight fell on her face and shoulders as he waited for her to get on her Nadder. "We'll head around to the eastern side of Outcast Island. There shouldn't be anyone patrolling that area at this time of night. We'll walk to the compound on foot from there."

She nodded. "I brought some rope with me so you can tie me up, make it look like you caught me. We should work out a signal for when we're ready to leave and for when I can trust you again."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at the last part, but he gave a small shrug. "How about if I call you princess? I'll be calling you dragon conqueror or Astrid around the other Outcasts. They'll be expecting me to walk like them and talk like them."

Astrid wrinkled her nose at the suggestion but she sighed, adhering to it. "Well I guess if we don't have anything else we can use that." She paused, tilting her head in his direction. "Why do you call me princess anyway? I mean aside from to antagonize me."

"I already told you that I was surprise when I first met you, that stories about you said you were ten feet tall with the strength of a dozen men." He shrugged. "Dragon princess seems far more fitting than dragon conqueror, don't you think?"

"There's just one problem with that," she replied, leaning in close to Stormfly's body as she prepared to take off into the sky. "I don't like being the damsel in distress."

Watching her leave the ground, Hiccup smirked a little before following her lead as Toothless launched himself into the air, positioning his foot in a way that opened up the tail fin as Fenrir followed suit, looking a little miffed that her rider wasn't riding her instead of the Night Fury. Unfortunately for Astrid, she might not have a choice but to be the damsel in distress.

* * *

The ride to Outcast Island was fairly uneventful, the two teens racing each other from time to time to see whose dragon was the fastest. Toothless outperformed Stormfly and Fenrir in every challenge, given that Night Furies were known for their speed and accuracy. For a moment it just seemed like they were two teenagers, dragon trainers or not. It was strange to think of himself as a dragon trainer, when just a couple of weeks ago he'd been killing them out of fun and defense. And yet now he controlled two.

But soon he'd control an armada. Either as Alvin's second in command or the leader himself, he had yet to decide which he liked better.

Hiccup directed Astrid to the clearing he'd told her about, the one that usually went unguarded. The dragons swooped down, folding their wings close to their sides as their riders dismounted. Astrid pulled the rope out of her satchel, handing it over to him before she looked at Stormfly, reaching up to rub the bridge of her muzzle. "Stay here okay, girl?" she instructed, hearing an indignant squawk before she clamped her hands around Stormfly's beak. "No no no, I need you to stay here. I don't want the Outcasts getting hold of you." Tilting up on her toes, she whispered into the Nadder's ear. "If I'm gone for more than two days, go back and get the others."

"Ready?" She lowered herself to stand flat on her feet before she turned around to look at Hiccup, who dangled the rope between his hands, moonlight reflecting off his spiked shoulder guards. Silhouetted, he seemed that much more dangerous, that much more imposing, like he had done that night on the rocks nearly three weeks ago. The shadows of his two dragons beside him didn't help matters much, and she thought she saw him smirk faintly. Astrid stepped over to him as Stormfly took a couple of steps back, the viking girl holding her wrists together and watching him bind them with the rope as she inhaled deeply, steadying herself.

She could trust him. He'd bound his life to hers, bound his tongue by his word. He couldn't lie to her.

The rope tight around her wrists, he gave a tug, pushing his index finger against the bindings to see if it would give way and when it didn't, he stepped back, tilting his head and studying her. Pulling the dagger from his belt, he stepped forward again only to have her back away before he reached his free hand out, taking hold of her wrists and pulling her in towards him, voice a whisper in her ear. "We need to make this look authentic," he purred, warm breath ghosting along her ear and neck and making her shiver. "Make it look like you struggled."

The dagger dug into her skin and Astrid gasped as it tore at her clothing, a red welt forming along her side. She squeezed her eyes shut, hearing Stormfly make a concerned noise behind her. "It's okay, girl, it's okay. I'm fiNE." Her head tilted back as her eyes opened at the next slice along her thigh. In battle she hadn't had time to think about weapons or tail spikes or fire cutting into her or burning her flesh. The sensation of the blade trailing along her left tingles in its wake, and she bit her lip. Her knees trembled but she steadied herself against him, bound hands grabbing onto the chainmail he wore, the tightness of her grip causing the metal to cut into her fingers.

It was a struggle to keep himself from getting itoo/i excited about this. Hiccup closed his eyes and drew in a breath as he felt her nearly collapse against him after just a few cuts. He chuckled a little breathlessly, smoothing back short hair away from her neck before he kissed the skin there. "Almost done, princess," he murmured into her ear, reaching down to take a fistfull of her shirt, tearing his knife into it before he pulled back, cupping her chin as he examined her, watching the way her face was flushed from keeping herself under control, moonlight dancing along her cheeks.

Opening her eyes to look at him, Astrid was almost afraid of the person she saw in front of her. Gone was the boy he'd allowed her to get to know over the last couple of weeks, replaced by the hidden monster who gained pleasure from seeing people suffer. For a second she almost backed out of the mission, before he stroked his fingers along her cheek and leaned in, pressing his mouth to hers and she hissed into the kiss as she felt the dagger being dragged down her left cheek to her jawline, causing her to bite his lip, which was returned a bit more aggressively before he pulled away, licking blood from his lip as he pressed his forehead against hers, tucking her braid behind her ear.

"You could make a beautiful Outcast you know, princess," he breathed out huskily, thumb drawing along the cut on her left cheek as he let her get her breathing under control. "A Goddess among men. We could rule the Archipelagos together."

Astrid closed her eyes, wondering if he was acting or not, the imagery in her head all too real as she steadied herself before drawing up straight, pulling her fingers out of his chainmail with a shake of her head, opening her gaze again. "My loyalty is to Berk and the dragons," she said, watching the way his face fell a little, though for the one fleeting moment she'd allowed herself to imagine it, she felt a strange need twist in her stomach before she batted it down.

So why was she entertaining the idea as he led her away from Stormfly by a short trail of rope that he hadn't tied her hands with, followed by Toothless and Fenrir.

They didn't speak until they reached a hill leading down towards the Outcast compound, when she started to struggle against him like she was trying to get away from him. Blood stained her clothes, and she lashed out at him only to get a harsh yank that made her sprawl towards him, his voice raising now that they were within hearing distance of the door guards.

"Stop fighting me!"

She jerked her head with the backhand to lessen the impact, glaring up at him as she watched the guards lower their crossbows out the corner of her eye when they realized who they were aiming at, falling back to the ground. "No! I will never stop fighting you for every minute of the rest of my life! I'd rather die than be controlled!" She stared up at him defiantly, biting the inside of her cheek and spitting blood into his face.

Hiccup wiped the back of his sleeve along his cheek where the blood had landed, faintly raising an eyebrow at her before he snarled, looking at the two guards with a growl in his voice. "You two!" he barked, yanking her along with him towards the door when she refused to get up onto her feet.

"Y-yes, sir?!" They were over to him in a flash, their weapons still drawn due to the two dragons behind him. He heard Toothless growl and lifted a hand to calm both parties down, noticing the questioning glances the guards gave each other. He shoved the hand holding onto Astrid's rope towards them, watching them jump at the almost violent action and he sneered inwardly. Lily livered fools.

"Take her to join her friend in the cells. I'm going to see father and announce my return." Watching them fumble with the rope, he stepped around them and started walking away, followed by Toothless and Fenrir before he called out over his shoulder. "I'll see you soon I'm sure, princess."

* * *

Alvin had almost lost his patience. He wasn't a very patient man to begin with, but with a feast of meat in front of him how could he be anything but mildly relaxed? An unmarked trader's boat had crossed into their waters, and of course cabin crew and their livestock was theirs for the taking, so says one of the few laws on Outcast Island. His teeth tore into the leg in his hands before the door to the great hall slammed open, making him raise an eyebrow and lift his head.

His son walked into the hall, shoulders straight and head held high like the proud Outcast he should be, not like the person he'd acted himself to be two weeks ago during their staged raid of Berk. His mouth was stretched into a dark, wicked smile as he twirled a satchel around at his side as he came up to the table, free hand coming up to sit on his hip.

That was when Alvin noticed the two dragons behind him and he had to relax his face before he gave away the almost maniacal glee that was bubbling to the surface. The Nadder he'd already been introduced to, but the black shadow behind him was undoubtedly a Night Fury. He leaned forward in his seat, uncrossing one leg from over the other as he stood. "Great thunder of Thor..."

"A Night Fury," Hiccup said with a gesture to his right. "The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Mine to command." The Night Fury growled, coming to stand protectively at his rider's side. "My infiltration of Berk was a success, father. The dragon conqueror is being sent to the cells as we speak and..." He twirled the satchel around before he flung it up into the air and over the table, landing on Alvin's plate and the flap opening, a book sliding out. "Their Book of Dragons. Every secret, every single little detail that they've sweated over and studied is in there."

The Outcasts in the hall stared as Alvin licked blood from his fingers before he reached for the book, opening the cover and scanning his eyes over it before a wicked grin matching the one on his son's face crossed his mouth and he chuckled before he broke out into laughter that seemed to echo around the cavern as he shut the book, placing it on top of the satchel and stood from his seat, walking around the table. With an unceremonious sling of his arm around his boy's shoulders, he spread his free hand wide, gesturing towards the Outcasts.

"My boy has come back to us!" The roar of approval that met his statement was almost deafening, the vikings stomping their feet before he held up a hand to silence them again. "With the dragon conqueror and the Book of Dragons in our possession, our aspiration to rule the Archipelagos from the skies comes one step closer to becoming a reality! My son has conquered a Night Fury! Something that no one, not even the dragon conquereor herself has achieved!"

Another roar of approval was silenced as Alvin began leading Hiccup over to the long table, and Hiccup realized what kind of meal was stretched out before him as his father placed his hand in the middle of his back before he reached into the carcass, pulling out a mass of organ covered in blood. He looked up at his father questioningly as he took hold of the heart with both hands when it was thrust to him, noticing the look on Alvin's face as he pulled his hand away. "And now he will eat this human heart to prove that he hasn't become weak during the time he spent on Berk."

The Outcasts in the room waited with baited breath as Hiccup looked down at the organ between his hands, an unreadable expression on his face. He hadn't known the person on the table, hadn't spent time with them or gotten to know them. Drawing the bloody flesh up to his face, the Outcast heir sank his teeth into the heart like a savage wolf, tearing his head away from it to the jeers and whistles and cheers of his tribe as he chewed and swallowed before tearing into it again, face covered from chin to nose in the same blood that dripped down his wrists.

He ignored the squirming sensation in his stomach as his father pulled away, walking back over to his seat and slumping down to watch. He ignored the memory of Stoick saying he was proud of him as he tore into the heart literally in his hands, ignored the noises his dragons were making behind him. Ignored the way his eyes kept searching the crowd for the friends he had made over the last two weeks.

He was home.

...Wasn't he?

* * *

The underground pathways beneath the Outcast stronghold were as numerous as they were many, Astrid realized as she tried to keep her wits about her, allowing the guard in front of her to lead her to the cells where they kept the humans. The sounds of dragons roaring and howling echoed along the corridors and she looked out the corner of her eye as she started to pass some. There was the Scauldron that Hiccup had mentioned, a Whispering Death, a Nadder, a Nightmare...several kinds of dragons she didn't even know the names of. She looked at them all with wide-eyed wonder as she passed them, before she was roughly shoved forward.

"Hey...!" She didn't have time to say anything else as one of her legs buckled out underneath her, making her stumble, twisting herself to turn around as the guard closed the doors to a cell, landing on her backside after tripping up. She glared at him but only got a scowl in reply before he walked away. Astrid pushed herself to her feet, looking around before she heard a familiar voice.

"Astrid?" She turned around on the ball of her foot, unable to contain the joy she felt when she saw him. There was Fishlegs, looking a bit worse for wear after nearly three days in captivity but still whole. Astrid watched him push himself up before she closed the distance between them, leaning against him as best she could with her wrists bound, causing him to jump a little at the sudden contact.

"You're okay! Oh thank Freyja."

"Astrid, what are you doing here?" Fishlegs raised an eyebrow before he reached forward to untie her hands, taking a good look at her. She'd obviously been in a battle of some kind, and recent too, if the cuts on her body were anything to go by. "Did he catch you too?"

She shook her head, reaching up to rub the wrist of one hand with a small wince. Damnit, he'd tied them too tight. She wriggled her hands at the wrists, getting blood flowing into them again. "Hiccup explained everything to me. He's the one that got me in here in the first place." At the shocked look on Fishlegs's face, she rolled her eyes. "I must admit, I had my doubts at first but..."

"Astrid, he's insane!" She looked up when her friend made the exclamation. He looked thinner than the last time she'd seen him - he probably hadn't been eating anything that they gave him - and he placed his hands on her shoulders, shaking her. "I overheard his entire plan! That's why I wound up locked in here! I saw him down on the beach talking with Savage and..."

"Legs, calm down." She pushed his hands away, taking a step back to study him before pursing her lips together. "He told me that your capture was Savage's idea."

"It wasn't! That's the whole point I'm trying to make!" Hearing the roars of the dragons, Fishlegs winced before he lowered his voice. "When he caught me he had Fenrir pin me to the beach. He said he'd kill me if I so much as screamed. Astrid, please don't tell me he killed Stoick."

"Why would he...?"

"It was one of the things he was going to do before he came back! He said...he said he was going to lead you to Outcast Island and slit Stoick's throat while he slept!"

Astrid glanced away from her long time friend, her brow furrowing before she shook her head. "I don't think he killed Stoick. I saw the chief at dinner last night and I met up with Hiccup a little bit later. He couldn't have been in and out and killed him in fifteen minutes." Could he? She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, chewing on it before she shook her head again. "No, I'm sure he didn't. I made him forge a blood pact and swear his life to me."

"You _what_?" Fishlegs looked at her like was crazy and in all honesty she might as well have been. She was certainly beginning to feel like she was. He pressed a hand to his face and ran it through scraggy blonde hair, waving his hands around in the air wildly afterwards as he spoke. "Astrid, you made an _Outcast_ swear his life to you! A bloodthirsty, murderous _Outcast_! _Why_?"

"So he wouldn't lie to me anymore!" She threw her hands up in exasperation, moving away from him as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I made him swear to me because I was sick of him not telling the truth, I was sick of not knowing what was a lie and what wasn't."

"I hate to say it, Astrid." She turned around to look at her friend, watching him shake his head. "But you might have walked right into his trap."

* * *

Belly full, Hiccup had to force himself not to throw everything up. Berk's people lived on a chicken and fish diet, and two weeks of not eating human flesh seemed to have waned him off it somewhat. He took a swig of mead, gulping it down to keep it in his stomach as the other Outcasts around him celebrated his homecoming and victory. Behind him, Fenrir and Toothless sat looking down at their own meat offerings, the Night Fury nudging the plate with his forepaw. Hearing his Nadder trill questioningly, Hiccup looked at them over his shoulder from where he sat before he stood, crossing the room to squat in front of them.

"I know it's not fish, but it's the best I can do for now I'm afraid," he said, voice drowned out under the song that had started. Fenrir fluffed her wings and gave him a look while Toothless growled lowly and he reached out to stroke the tops of their muzzles. "We'll go fishing in the morning. There's a spot just off the coast that..."

"Boy!" With a small sigh and a roll of his eyes, he gave them a pat before he stood, turning his attention to where Alvin was looking at him questioningly. Turning sharply on his heel, Hiccup walked back over to the table, standing at his father's side questioningly as he tilted his head back to take another swig of ale. "What's the matter with those dragons of yours? They've barely touched their food."

"They won't eat human flesh, father," he replied as despondently as he could, trying not to show his worry. "Dragons eat mostly fish except for eel, you see. I know we aren't nearly as coastal bound as Berk but I was thinking..." He was cuffed around the head before Alvin slammed his mug down on the table.

"That's dangerous, thinking is. You know that," was the responding growl from the chief as his son raised his hand to rub the back of his head. "The dragons will eat what they're damn well given or I swear I will take it out on your hide, boy." Alvin stood from his chair, staring down at him. "This isn't Berk, son. We aren't weak and I certainly won't have the same lily livered fools in my tribe, and that includes those dragons of yours. They will be ferocious killing machines under my command!"

"Y-yes, father." For the first time in his life, Hiccup the Horrendous felt his heart thump from nerves in his chest and he stared up at his adoptive father. He didn't know why but some part of him was expecting Alvin to say he was proud of him like Stoick had, but when he didn't, he shook his head, turning away and wondering why he'd expected such a thing from Alvin the Treacherous. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to retire to my room."

He barely heard the reply before he stalked out of the room as quickly as he could, followed almost immediately by his dragons. Once he was in his room and sure that he wasn't going to be disturbed, Hiccup walked over to the makeshift bed and sat down on the end, pressing his hands to his face before he threaded his fingers through his hair, taking deep breaths as Toothless and Fenrir nuzzled him worriedly.

"I am an Outcast. I am an Outcast. I'm not a weakling from Berk."

Except he was.


	16. Chapter 16

When Hiccup woke that morning to the sound of banging on the door to his room, he shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. He'd wound up sleeping between his dragons, head resting on Toothless's middle with Fenrir's head draped over his lap, and it had honestly been the best sleep he'd had in a long while. With a small grunt, he pushed Fenrir off his lap, giving her a scratch behind the spines before he yawned, getting up as the knocking became more insistent.

"I'm coming I'm coming. Hold your dragons." Toothless grumbled at the knocking, opening one eye as his rider stood before he curled his tail around himself, fanning his remaining fin over his face as Fenrir trilled sleepily where she'd been pushed off, shaking her head as she uncurled herself to watch curiously. Hiccup opened the door, raising an eyebrow at the guard. "What?" he snapped, causing the man to cringe a little.

"A-apologies, your most hideousness, but Alvin wants you in the kill ring with, er..." When the guard glanced around the boy to see if the dragons were in his room, Hiccup followed his gaze, turning his head to look before glancing back at him. The guard straightened himself, coughing into his hand. "I-immediately."

"Tell my father I'll be there soon then." Without waiting for a reply, he stepped away and slammed the door in the man's face. With a small groan, Hiccup leaned against the door, placing a hand to his face. He didn't want to see his father so soon after last night, but if he didn't go there'd be consequences to be had. Slowly, the boy pushed himself away from the wood of the door, starting to pick up clothing from where he'd tossed it to the side before going to sleep last night. "Sorry, guys, doesn't look like there'll be any time for fishing this morning."

Fenrir and Toothless shared a look before they turned their heads back to their rider, watching him dress in his armor. With a great shake of his head, Toothless stood and lumbered over, pressing his nose into the high point of Hiccup's back after the boy slid his chainmail over his head. He glanced over his shoulder at the Night Fury, remembering last night and how his dragons had wrapped themselves around him protectively. Biting his bottom lip, he shook his head, grabbing his shoulder guards and sliding them on as he started to mutter to himself.

"I am an Outcast. I am an Outcast."

* * *

Astrid gave a wince at the sound of the Monstrous Nightmare's roar as she was shoved into the kill ring by the guard who had come to hers and Fishlegs's cell, reaching up to rub at her shoulder as the gate closed behind her. Now this was a familiar situation. An entire kill ring to herself with only a Nightmare for company, though this one wasn't as calm as Hookfang had been. The guards had given up on trying to keep it under control, if anything was obvious by the way rope was tied around its neck.

Glancing up at the Outcasts surrounding the ring, looking on with interest, she pursed her lips together when she couldn't see Hiccup, watching Fishlegs be brought to the bars, no doubt so he could watch her nearly get eaten by the dragon. He raised his hand to his mouth, biting his thumb, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when Hiccup appeared next to him. Watching the Outcast heir nod the guards away, she watched the two boys interact before she felt the air warm up around her.

The Nightmare coming at her, she dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding the teeth that threatened to snap her in two. Astrid jumped back away from the fire that was blasted her way, holding her hand out in front of her. "Why couldn't it have been a Nadder?" she muttered to herself as the Nightmare blinked at her in confusion, head tilting to the side at the sight of the open palm. It sniffed the air curiously before it reared back, snarl curling its upper lip.

So much for that idea.

Hiccup draped his arm over Fishlegs's shoulder as the two boys watched Astrid do another run around the ring, just narrowly dodging attempts at her life had she not been so nimble. Hiccup hummed to himself, feeling the blonde boy tremble a little - whether in nerves or otherwise, he didn't know. He clapped his hand against Fishlegs's collarbone when Astrid leaped on the Nightmare's neck and wrestled it to the ground horns-first, calming it instantly. "She really does know everything about dragons."

"Oh no." Fishlegs shook his head, watching the way Astrid kept the Nightmare pinned for a moment before she let go, dusting her hands off. "That one she learned from Snotlout. It's the only thing that'll calm Hookfang down." There was silence between them as they watched her hold her hand out now, the Nightmare sniffing at it curiously before it nudged its muzzle up into her palm. He glanced out the corner of his eye at Hiccup, pursing his lips together. "I can't believe you lied to her again."

Hiccup rolled his eyes as he leaned away from the other boy, rolling his shoulders. The other Outcasts around the ring were too busy watching with awe as the Nightmare inclined its neck for Astrid, blinking slitted but wide eyes up at her. "I didn't lie to her, you moron," he hissed, narrowing green eyes at Fishlegs. "I made a mistake and I intend to fix it."

Fishlegs raised an eyebrow before he realized there was something different about Hiccup compared to when he'd last seen him. There was a lighter air about him, and he didn't really seem as imposing as he had the night he'd appeared behind him while he was stargazing. "Which is the real you, Hiccup?" At the questioning look, he continued, voice remaining low between them. "You've built up so many lies, so many personas. Which is the real you?"

He glanced away from Fishlegs at the question, focusing instead on watching Astrid tame the Nightmare down from its raging fury, his brow furrowed as he rolled the question over in his head. After a moment or two of silence he crossed his arms over his chest, scowl deepening. "I'm the heir to the Outcast tribe. That's the real me."

"I don't believe that somehow." Fishlegs turned his attention back at the ring, not noticing the look Hiccup gave him before the Nightmare was taken away and Astrid prepared herself for the next dragon. There was a rumble underneath them, causing both boys to reach out and take hold of the cage railing in front of them. The blonde's eyes widened when the next dragon revealed itself. "The Whispering Death...we've never seen one of those! She won't know how to deal with it!" He reached for Hiccup's arm, shaking it. "You have to stop it! Otherwise Astrid could get killed!"

"Then she'll get killed," Hiccup growled, pulling his arm free of the larger boy's grasp, but even as he said that, he turned his eyes towards the kill ring, watching as she waited, biting his bottom lip as the Whispering Death sniffed the air, nostrils flaring. He sucked in a breath at the same time as just about everyone did, watching as Astrid slipped a foot towards it, crouched, her hand held out. The Whispering Death took another whiff of air before it opened its mouth, revealing thousands of razor sharp teeth and it lunged for Astrid but missed, instead burrowing into the earth. Both boys watched on as rocks flew up, the dragon creating a myriad of tunnels underneath and causing Astrid to turn around, watching as the ground was torn up. "What's it doing?"

"The Whispering Death is a dragon that tunnels under its victims, where it traps them in a maze," Fishlegs responded, biting his thumb nail as Astrid dodged the rotound dragon as it came up before it dived again, tail wriggling down after it. "The victim can get lost for hours, weeks at a time." He noticed Hiccup staring at him out the corner of his eye and turned his head, frowning when he saw the look on his face. "Weren't you the one who said 'then she'll get killed'?"

Both vikings looked to the ring when a terrified shriek met their ears and they turned their heads to see Astrid tumble down into a hole that opened up beneath her. Without even thinking, Hiccup slipped through the bars into the kill ring, shouts and murmurs sounding around him as he ran for the hole. He didn't even acknowledge his father's calls to stop him, because nothing could stop him at this point. He withdrew his axe from his back just as he saw a black blur shoot past him - Toothless! The Night Fury dived head first into one of the holes at the same time Hiccup leaped down the one that had swallowed Astrid.

The hole was deep as he landed on his feet on the side, taking a couple of steps forward with his axe held in both hands as he held it in front of him, looking around quickly. The tunnels echoed around him and he turned around as he walked past a crossroads, glancing down both tunnels. "Father shouldn't have sent her into the ring without a weapon," he muttered under his breath, straining his ears to hear Astrid's voice - there! To the right. The sound of furious fighting echoed down to him too and Hiccup took off, axe slung over his shoulder before he bumped into something, sending him sprawling backwards. Hiccup shook his head, raising a hand to it to run his fingers through his hair before he opened his eyes, watching Astrid look at him.

Hiccup barely had time to express his relief before she was on him, tackling him with such a force that sent them rolling backwards until she was sitting on his stomach, her hand raised to punch him as she grabbed hold of the front of his chainmail. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you!" she said, lowering her fist marginally before she shook him, ignorant of the two dragons tumbling past them through the connecting corridor in the background. "You lied to me! Even after making a blood pact, you lied to me!"

He held his hands up in defense, considering his axe had been thrown to the side in their clash. Instead, he lowered them, opening one of his eyes from where they'd closed. "Princess, please. Let me explain...!"

"I don't want your excuses!" Astrid was trembling above him, he realized, and he looked up at her, watching her grit her teeth together. "Fishlegs told me everything. How the volcano had been part of your plan to gain my trust - iour/i trust. How you were going to kill the chief..." She stopped short when she realized what he'd just called her before she pulled her arm back and slugged him, hitting him across the cheek. "Don't call me that!"

Hiccup lowered his hand to his face, rubbing the spot where she'd hit him before he reached to grab her wrist to stop her from doing it again. When it looked like she was going to use her other hand, he snagged that one too, watching her glare furiously at him but she allowed him to speak, even as she did struggle to get out of his grip. "I didn't kill Stoick," he said slowly, sitting up and pushing her back until she sat in his lap. "I was going to, but I didn't. Yes, I planted the fire stone in Mildew's house, and yes that whole thing had been so that you would trust me. Yes, the Blue Oleanders were my doing. Yes, I told Savage to bring Fishlegs here, but I'm going to make up for it."

"How?" she spat, lifting her head when she heard the dragons growling from down the corridor before she lowered it closer to his face. "What in Odin's name do you think could make up for _that_? For putting our dragons in danger of losing their lives and for endangering the entire Archipelago?" Astrid paused before she shook her head, turning it to the side as she muttered to herself. "I should've seen it the moment you named Fenrir. Loki, the God of tricks and lies. Fenrir is his child and mount. How could I have been so _blind_?"

He waited for her to calm down before he tried talking again, releasing one of her wrists to reach up and cup her face, stroking his thumb over the cheek where he'd cut it the previous night. "Because I'm going to get you out of here. You _and_ Fishlegs. And then I'm going to challenge father, only this time I mean it..."

"BOY!" Alvin's roar echoed into the caverns the Whispering Death had made and Hiccup cringed. Pushing Astrid off, he rose to his feet and took hold of one of her hands, grabbing his axe with the other. Astrid felt her anger fade when she saw the look on his face before he started leading her towards an exit.

Angry grey clouds floated overhead as both of the viking teenagers hauled themselves out of the hole, Hiccup reaching down to help her up only to have his offer refused. He winced a bit at the cold shoulder, briefly wondering where Toothless was before he turned his head over to where the Outcast chief was standing in the kill ring, about to speak before his heart very nearly stopped dead as he inhaled sharply, hearing Astrid do the same behind him.

Fenrir squawked and struggled when she saw him, bound as she was by tight ropes and held down by three strong-looking Outcasts. Alvin was tossing a hatchet up and down in the air, an angry look on his face and Hiccup took a step forward, hand outstretched. "Father, no! Please! Take my mistakes out on me but don't hurt her!"

"Time on Berk has made you weak, Hiccup," Alvin sneered, lip curling in disgust as Fenrir trilled out for her rider. "It's time to get rid of the things that make you weak."

"Father, please! I promise I'm not weak! I ate the heart, didn't I?!" His voice was growing desperate, anxious and Astrid found herself placing her hand on his arm to keep him from going any further. "Dad!"

Hiccup barely heard Astrid's breath hitch behind him as the axe was swung down, cutting clean through the green Nadder's neck. He stood still, watching blood pool out underneath the dragon, her movements going still as he felt as though his heart would stop. He trembled, stretched fingers wavering in the air as Astrid buried her face in her free hand behind him, her shoulders hunched. The sound of his own blood rushed into his ears before he pulled back, hands clenching into fists at his side as he heard laughter echo around him.

Fenrir was dead, and yet instead of feeling a sense of satisfaction that he used to feel, all he felt was pain. Vaguely he heard Fishlegs shout something but it was drowned out over the noise his heart made in his chest, the cold claws of guilt and sadness ripping him into two. Swallowing deeply, he raised his head to look at Alvin as his father walked forward, Nadder blood dripping from his hatchet and along the floor of the kill ring, one of his dragons still underground in the Whispering Death's maze. He flet his father's large hand thread fingers into his hair before he was wrenched to the side by a grip that could have snapped his neck in half.

Hiccup held his ground, though. Shocked as he might have been he was still aware of who stood behind him and where she was from. He had to protect her. He opened his arms, pulling his head out of Alvin's grip and stepping back in front of Astrid, deepening his scowl from the hurt that he felt tearing inside him. Alvin raised an eyebrow at his son's look of defiance, chuckling before he leaned down to whisper in the boy's ear, causing Hiccup to go stock still and murmur out a "yes, sir".

Turning on his heel, the Outcast chief turned on his heel and stalked back towards the gates. It wasn't until the tribe had gone and it was just Astrid and Fishlegs, did Hiccup let himself drop to his knees, wrap his arms around himself himself and lowered his head to the ground, mourning the loss of his Nadder.

Astrid hated to admit it, but this was the most human she'd ever seen Hiccup, and she waited for Fishlegs to be shoved into the ring by the guards before she knelt down next to him, placing her hand in the middle of his back.

"I don't want your sympathy," she heard him choke out, trying to sound just like he usually did. Cocky, arrogant, smug. Anything to escape the pain tearing through him right now like Alvin's axe had gone through him instead of Fenrir. He felt a familiar nuzzle at his side as Toothless, back from his impromptu fight with the Whispering Death, whined low in his throat, sensing his distress. "I am an Outcast, not a weakling."

"It's not weak to show emotions, Hiccup," Astrid said, her earlier anger forgotten having witnessed Fenrir's swift death. She rested her chin on top of his head as Toothless rounded his back, crooning lowly. "She was your dragon. Your first. It's okay to feel sad about it." She heard him mutter something about contracting some sort of disease and closed her eyes, sighing softly.

It started to rain as Hiccup finally stood, brushing his hands along his arms as though nothing had happened even as he looked over at the dragon's body. He schooled his expession, turning around to look at them. "You two need to get out of here."

"But..."

"You need to take Toothless and go!" He pointed in the direction where the gates were still open, looking at her desperately. "If you don't, if I screw up again, Alvin will kill you too." He nodded as though deciding their course of action for them before he knelt down in front of the Night Fury, running his fingers along the bridge of his nose. "You'll all be safer."

"What about you?" Fishlegs asked, reaching out to hold back Astrid before she could kneel down next to Hiccup, keeping her a safe distance from the Outcast heir as he murmured instructions to Toothless, who perked an ear flap as though in understanding. "I hate to say it, but we can't just leave you here. Not after that display."

Hiccup shook his head and stood again, rain dripping down his face as he turned his back to them, away from the body of his Nadder. "I'll be fine. Go. You know how to control Toothless's tail fin, princess. There's nothing faster than a Night Fury."

"Hiccup, please, we can help yo-"

He whirled around on his foot, pointing in the direction of the gate as he roared his next words. "GO!"

As though on a hidden command, Toothless butted his head against Fishlegs's legs, slipping under them as the large boy gave a yelp before doing the same to Astrid. Barely waiting for both teens to get a good grip on him, the Night Fury trilled at Hiccup before he bounded out of the kill ring, the cries of Outcast guards sounding as lighting flashed overhead.

Once he was sure they were gone, Hiccup walked over to the severed head of his Nadder, kneeling down in front of it and placing his hand on her cheek. The coldness the normally warm body gave away was mildly shocking, but he leaned his head down, tucking her chin into the crook of his neck like she did - used to - when they slept and he closed his eyes, reaching to pull her eyelids down.

"Sweet dreams."

Hiccup was livid, seething in a rage that made it almost impossible to think, moreso than when he had been humiliated in front of his tribe by Astrid. Lowering Fenrir's head to the floor of the arena, he stood from where he knelt, pulling his axe from his back. His hand shifted around the hilt of his weapon, gripping it in a hold that turned his knuckles white before he tossed it up into the air once, catching it after it fell back down to him.

Something inside of him was screaming to be let out, to avenge the monster - no, _dragon_ - that had somehow gotten under his skin in his last few weeks on Berk. She was his. He might not have liked being bonded to her at first but she was still his. His dragon, his Nadder. Alvin had always killed or gotten rid of things that he became attached to before, it shouldn't have mattered like it did, but this was different.

And he saw red.

Outcast warriors stepped out of his way as he stalked from the kill arena, shoving one aside as whoever it was asked what they should do with the body. As far as he was concerned, there would be two bodies tonight. Hiccup gritted his teeth, grinding them as he thought back on his first flight, the way Fenrir had crept closer to him each night until he'd allowed her to sleep nestled around him, how he'd kept waking up draped over her. Memory after memory flashed through his mind, clouding his vision until he slammed the doors of the great hall open, chest heaving and he screamed out in rage.

"_Father_!" All activity in the hall stopped, the voices died down. Alvin turned away from where he was discussing something with Savage and looked at the boy he'd raised, an eyebrow lifting. Hiccup charged in like a rampaging bull, axe pulled back and ready to strike before he felt a fist hit him in the gut. Hiccup coughed out air, free hand wrapping around the wrist and staring up at Alvin. "Why?"

"Because you were getting weak." Alvin quirked his lips into a smug smirk, taking hold of his son's chainmail and lifting him off the ground, easily throwing him away, watching Hiccup regain his footing easily as he rolled his shoulders, cracking his knuckles. "We cut off things that make us weak in the Outcast tribe. Or have you forgotten that in just three weeks on Berk?"

"She was mine." Hiccup rearranged his grip on his axe, shoulders stiffening as he regained his footing. His heart was beating fast in his chest and out the corner of his eye he saw the other Outcasts in the room leave. They knew what was going on. "You killed her!"

"_It_. I killed _it_, boy. Dragons are monsters."

"She had her own personality! She _felt_ things. She...she _cared_ about me!" The hit came before Hiccup could bring his axe up to defend himself, the strength behind it enough to make him stumble to the side. Using the force of the blow, he spun around, keeping a tight grip on his axe as he swung it at the man who had raised him. A hand came up and grabbed the hilt above his, drawing him to Alvin so they were face to face. "She wasn't a monster."

"You're delusional," Alvin purred, wrenching the axe from Hiccup's hand and kicking the teen away from him. Closing the distance, he started to circle his heir, tossing the axe up and down. "The one you should be blaming for this loss isn't me. The dragon conqueror put you in this position. She made you _care_ about something that can't feel anything."

"Stop it," Hiccup hissed out, clamping his hands over his ears. "I'm not listening to you anymore."

"You have no chance against me, boy."

"I can damn well try."


	17. Chapter 17

Things had grown quiet since that time nearly five months ago now, since Astrid and Fishlegs had come home to Berk. The freeze had come and gone, without any lives lost thanks to the diligence and hard work of the vikings and dragons, although almost a month later Mildew passed away, though there was no love lost between the village and the old man.

Once he learned what had transpired with the two teenagers during their time on Outcast Island, it had taken everything Gobber had to calm Stoick down and get him to _not_ go out in search for Alvin's head on a platter. Astrid took care of Toothless in Hiccup's stead and although she herself had been tempted to leave Berk and go back to Outcast Island to at least check up on him, she knew it would make his order for them to leave fruitless at best.

Her hair had grown back since it had been cut by Alvin's sword six months previous, and she sat up on the island's edge hear the pathway leading to the docks, running her fingers through it. Toothless sat next to her, head resting on his forepaws as he stared out at the water. The village had experienced one of their late spring storms last night, and the morning sun shone along the wet grass. Astrid finished tying her hair up, stroking her fingers along the thick braid and the smaller one at the top before she tilted her head in Toothless's direction with a raised eyebrow. "How does it look?"

The Night Fury arched an eyeridge at her, as though questioning why she was asking him, before he gave a harrumph in response, snorting as his tail flicked behind him. He would never understand human grooming. She frowned at his response before giving him a playful shove and a small grin, standing with a stretch. "Let's go for a run, boy. You need to get this mood kicked out of your big scaly butt."

Hearing Toothless croon in a way that clearly said 'why run when you can fly?', Astrid started off down the slope to the beach. Though to be honest she kind of understood his mood. He'd been grumpy ever since they'd gotten back to Berk five months ago, had tried - at numerous points in time - to get himself into the air without anyone on his back and failed before he finally gave up and instead chose to sit and watch the coastline. The spot where he sat and watched had become known as Dragon Point, and at any time of the day, in any weather, you were bound to see Toothless sitting up there, just a little way beyond the village, ear flaps perked forward. He hadn't been bound to Hiccup for nearly as long as Fenrir had been, but the obvious impact to his livelihood was still there, if the way he waited for his rider was any indication.

Astrid started jogging down the slope from the docks without waiting to see if the Night Fury would follow, although by the sound of the thumping behind her, he was starting to catch up. The sand up the coast was still wet from the tide, and Astrid's boots made a bit of a squelching sound as she ran. Toothless bounded along beside her, and a cool breeze swept up in his wake as she allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts. The cuts that Hiccup had made on her the night they went to Outcast Island had healed and faded, bar the one on her left cheek. It seemed to stay there, never fading, but she couldn't remember how hard the knife had cut through her skin when he'd made that one, mind too alert from the previous cuts to pay attention to the pain of one more. She bit her bottom lip, straining her legs to pump faster.

She'd had so many questions to ask him, she'd realized later, about the lies he'd fed her. Whether or not he thought he could change. And always, her mind traveled back to the one thing he'd said when he'd confessed part of his plan to her.

_I didn't plan on falling in love with you._

To be honest, Astrid had never liked it when guys fell in love with her. It was always because of her looks rather than anything solidly concrete like her personality. Did they even know anything about her? Granted, Snotlout was the only one on the island who actually kept i_trying_/i to impress her (Ruffnut had told her Tuffnut found her too scary, and Fishlegs was her best friend). Visits from tribes the Hooligans had an alliance with lasted only long enough to make a first impression at best. Hiccup had been watching her for two or three weeks, learning things about her that the majority of them didn't know. How much he'd come to know, she'd never know now. Who knew when she'd see him again?

_If_ she'd see him again.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Astrid and Toothless continued up the coast another mile or so before they decided to call it quits. Leaning down on her knees to catch her breath, she watched the dragon sniff the air before his eyes widened, his ear flaps perking forward. Frowning to herself, she watched him head over to the rocks, nose close to the ground before she cupped her hand around her mouth. "Toothless, c'mon! Let's go home!" When the Night Fury only moved further, hopping up onto and along the rocks, she rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, deciding to follow him. Stepping carefully so that she wouldn't fall into the sea, Astrid tilted her head as she watched Toothless before her eyes trailed to the remains of a small sailing boat, smashed beyond repair, no doubt having washed up in last night's storm, and she gasped a little when she saw a hand sticking out from underneath a large snap of the boat.

Toothless nudged the hand and whined low in his throat, a croon leaving him as his ears to the back of his head, looking up as Astrid ran over, nearly slipping on the rocks before she knelt down and the Night Fury nudged his nose against the hand again. Reaching, she hesitated, realizing that the hand was holding onto something. When she managed to pry the fingers away from the rim, her eyes widened when she saw the Berk crest on the side. "Help me move the wood off," she said to the dragon, who nodded and shook his head before he shifted himself. The wood fell off to the side easily with a dragon and a human lifting it, and when Astrid looked to see who was underneath it, she clamped her hand over her mouth.

Hiccup laid there, unmoving even as Toothless nuzzled his hair, a noise leaving the Night Fury. The book clutched between his fingers was Berk's Book of Dragons that had been left back on Outcast Island all those months ago. He was armorless and looked impossibly young - Astrid would have guessed twelve if she hadn't known he was sixteen. Malnourished too, from the looks of things. She rolled him gently onto his back, reaching up to brush hair away from his face. An eyepatch covered his left eye, his clothing soaked to the bone, but he was breathing.

Barely, but he was breathing.

"We need to get him back to Berk," she said, finally breaking the silence that had fallen between human and dragon. Toothless huffed as though in agreement, wings expanding away from his body for a moment. With the Night Fury's help, she managed to get Hiccup up onto his back, gently taking the book from his hand and removing the satchel so that it wouldn't choke him if he suddenly moved.

The small party began making its way back to the village, keeping a steady pace even though they had an emergency on their hands.

* * *

Stoick wore a hole into the ground along the pathway leading to Gothi's cottage, situated on the highest peak near the village, the house closest to the Gods. When Astrid and Toothless had made their way into the village with someone on the Night Fury's back, alarm bells had started going off inside the chief's head once he saw it was his son, unconscious and carrying new scars. He had no right to be worried, but Odin be damned if he was just going to sit by and twiddle his thumbs.

Toothless was just as bad as the chief. He had to be pulled out physically before he scratched at the door for a good bit, then started to pace, obviously agitated. The first time he'd seen his rider in moons and they were shutting him _out_? After about twenty minutes of agonized pacing, he sat down near Astrid with a heavy -thump-, leaning down and putting his head on his paws.

Astrid stroked his neck, fingers gliding over black scales as she sat on one of the rocks, staring down at her lap where he held the Book of Dragons with her free hand. Her thumb brushed over the crest on the cover, head bowed to look at it as she wondered just what in Thor's name he could have been thinking, wondered what his motives were. Fishlegs and Ruffnut came and went, only stopping briefly to get an update. Sometimes Snotlout and Tuffnut came by, but as the minutes drained on into hours, they stopped coming at all.

After what seemed like forever, the door to Goti's cottage opened, the elder holding up her hand before they could start asking questions. Gobber, who had come by to sit near the chief, stood to translate as the old woman started writing into the sand on her porch. Leaning over her shoulder, the blacksmith stroked his chin, nodding. "She says he's going to be fine." A collective sigh resounded among the three and Gobber made a wince at the next part. "He's missing an eye, malnourished, but he'll pull through. You lot just need to give him time to recover." He paused before he looked up at Stoick. "He was asking for you before he passed out. He woke up again just a minute ago."

"I'll go tell the others he'll be okay," Astrid said over her shoulder as she bounded down the steps leading up to the house, taking them two at a time.

Toothless whined after her, looking between where she had disappeared to and the cottage with his ears flat against his skull, eyes wide and woeful. Goti sighed and pointed to the door with her staff before making a motion with her free hand for him to be quiet. Wriggling in glee, the Night Fury pushed his way past Stoick and into the cottage.

When the chief looked into the nursing room, he saw Hiccup laying there on the bed, hand weakly running fingers along the top of Toothless's head as murmurs were exchanged between rider and dragon. The black beast made a trilling noise in the back of his throat, licking at his cheek before Hiccup turned his head to see Stoick standing there. Stitches kept his left eye sewn shut, the wiring tied together at one end and as he sat up as well as he could.

"Stoick." The word wheezed out of him before he coughed into his free hand, the other removing itself from Toothless's head to wrap around his stomach.

The chief closed the distance between them, placing his hand gently on one of the boy's shoulders and forcing him to sit back down against the bed before he pulled a chair up to the side, sitting down next to him. "I'm here. Just don't strain yourself too hard, son." The word was out of his mouth before he could stop it and he mentally winced. He stroked hair away from Hiccup's forehead, hearing the way the young man's breath wheezed out of him. "What did Alvin do to you?"

"I was..." Hiccup's breath hitched, a leg curling up and onto its side before he managed to start speaking again, keeping his other hand on Toothless's body. "After I let Astrid and Fishlegs escape, I was the only one on Outcast Island who knew how to train dragons. Father...Alvin kept me thinking that I was still his son and heir, until a couple of months ago." He bit his bottom lip and shook his head. "He...he had me study the Book of Dragons until I knew everything that was in there, notes that Astrid and her friends had written, the original notes written by Bork...everything. I started taming dragons for him but...I was stupid. I entertained thoughts of treason. I challenged him for the title of chief and that was when..." He gave a shrug and gestured to his eye. "After that, I started learning what he really wanted me to do. I helped him tame a Whispering Death for himself. I wasn't any better than a slave."

"Hiccup..."

The boy looked up, feeling the hand on his shoulder trembling and watching the rage on Stoick's face with a cringe. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

The chief shook his head, squeezing his shoulder gently. "I'm not mad at _you_, Hiccup. I'm angry at _Alvin_."

"Oh..." He bit his bottom lip before he tilted his head to look away from him, pulling his hand away from Toothless's head to rub at his arm. "I started planning my escape after that. I managed to leave last night and I took one of our smaller boats...I wasn't counting on the storm." Hiccup gave a small sigh and leaned back down into the yak skin blanket, looking up at the ceiling of the room. "Once Alvin finds out I stole the Book of Dragons and left, he'll be livid. I really was disowned this time. And all because of my own treachery."

The silence that filled the room at that was heavy, before Stoick coughed into his hand before rubbing the back of his neck. "Well...you know, my offer of living under my roof still stands." At the look the brunette gave him, he shrugged and crossed his arms. "I mean if you want." He tapped his fingers together for a moment. "Just think about it."

There was a small hum as Hiccup felt his body start to give into sleep again. Toothless crooned softly and rested his head against the bed, nudging himself under his rider's arm. Stoick realized this as the boy's wheezing became hitches of breath and he glanced down at him with a small sigh, reaching to brush shaggy hair back from his face. Ignoring the voice nagging in the back of his head that this was his fault, he pulled his hand away and glanced at the dragon before walking out of the room.

Once he was sure Stoick had left, Hiccup's eye opened, looking around before he gave a small sigh to himself. Plotting for this had taken months, and he ran his fingers through his hair to mess it back into the way it had been before Stoick had moved some hair aside. Laying back down in the bed with his arm resting around Toothless's neck, he stared up at the ceiling, other arm draped over his stomach. "I'm sorry, Stoick...Astrid," he whispered, closing his eye as his face scrunched up, fingers idly stroking over Toothless's scales. "I can't afford to mess this up again."

Mission infiltrate Berk version two start.


	18. Chapter 18

A week later, Hiccup was deemed fit enough to leave the comfort of Gothi's cottage and be moved elsewhere. Toothless had barely left his side the entire time, keeping watch over his rider as though making sure they wouldn't be separated for five months again. Astrid came up the stairs leading to the elder's house, finding him paying attention to the conditions she gave him in the sand she wrote in before he bowed his head in thanks for everything she'd done. One of his hands was on Toothless's back, using it to keep himself propped upright as he turned around, pausing when he saw her there. He grimaced a little before he covered it up, though she still saw it and he reached up to rub the back of his neck with his free hand, suddenly awkward.

"Didn't know you were coming to see me, princess. Do you always make house calls?" It was obvious that he was trying to reassert himself as a cocky warrior, but to be honest it was a little painful to watch, especially when she knew how physically weak he was right now.

Playing along, she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Only special cases. Don't think yourself lucky." Astrid raised an eyebrow as she shifted to the side so that Toothless could help him walk past her before she fell into step beside them. "The elder let you leave so soon?"

"No strenuous activity," he drawled, nearly stumbling before Toothless rightened himself in a way that caught him. Murmuring out a thanks, Hiccup gave the Night Fury's neck an idle scratch as they continued on their way. "I'm not allowed to start getting my strength back up to scratch until a couple more days have passed."

She frowned, saying nothing even though it was obvious he hated being weak like he was right now. The way he scowled at every little thing he couldn't pick up and things like that. She crossed her arms behind her back, tilting her head. "What are you going to do now? You can't possibly be thinking about camping in your condition."

"Why not? It's the only option I have." Well, that was a lie, but he wasn't ready to move into Stoick's house. Not by a long shot, even though the offer still stood in spite of his transgressions.

"You could move in with me." At the look she got from him, Astrid tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm an orphan, so it's just me and Stormfly. Both of my parents were killed during the war with the dragons when I was younger. Your mother and mine died fighting back to back."

Hiccup stopped walking at the new information, looking at her with one wide eye. His fingers shifted along Toothless's back before he reached up with his free hand to ruffle the back of his hair. "...What was she like? My mother? Fa...Alvin never said much about her."

She stared at him, though honestly she could understand how he'd never heard anything about her. Alvin had probably focused on building up his hate for Stoick, considering that Valhallarama was long since dead. "She was an adventurer, an amazing warrior." She smiled slightly. "I can't remember much about her since I was young when it happened, but I remember her eyes. They were always laughing and full of life." Astrid looked out across the horizon. "She was always off questing, but she always came back with tales of the things that she'd seen, trophies and treasures the likes of which none of us had ever imagined."

Watching the look on her face, Hiccup couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Astrid had known his mother. He followed her gaze, fingers sliding across Toothless's scales in a soothing manner, mostly for himself. "The only mother I remember is one of the female slaves Alvin had raise me for the first couple of years of my life." He couldn't see her looking at him because she was on his blind side, but he knew the expression that was probably on her face. "We don't...the Outcast tribe doesn't have any women. Any that we do have are slaves we take from other tribes, mostly for pleasure rather than actual breeding."

Well, that certainly explained why he'd found it so hilarious that she was the dragon conqueror. She pursed her lips together, reaching to take his hand and making him jump a little given he couldn't see her out the corner of that eye. "You don't have to keep using 'we', Hiccup. You're not an Outcast anymore."

"Part of me always will be, though. I can't just forget a way of life, Astrid." He turned his head to look at her properly, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure part of you still remembers how to kill dragons."

She winced and bit her bottom lip, glancing away. It was true that she still did. Every time Fishlegs would prattle off about dragons, part of her would be thinking about how they were killed. She looked back at him after a second, squeezing his hand. "Then I guess both of us aren't as perfect as we thought we were," she said softly.

When he smiled at her, she couldn't help but think that was probably the first time he'd ever actually smiled so genuinely at her. He pulled his other hand away from Toothless's back, reaching up to cup her cheek, brushing his thumb along the scar. "I didn't mean for that to be permanent," he said, inspecting the mark that mirrored his own on his right cheek. The blade of his knife was slimmer than a Nadder spike though, so her scar was thinner than his.

Astrid had the decency to flush a little before she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear with her free hand, glancing away. "I don't mind it," she said, feeling a bit awkward now. She let her hand drop to her shoulder, eyebrows drawing together in a small frown. "You didn't call me princess," she noted, pursing her lips together.

Hiccup turned his head away, letting go of her chin and dropping his hand to his arm where he rubbed it. "Calling you princess was a way of reminding myself not to get too attached. I was on a mission to learn your secrets so that I could utilize them back on Outcast Island, to train dragons for an army that would let Outcasts rule the skies. Getting attached was...not something I wanted to do." He shook his head, pulling his hand away from hers. "You were an obstacle, not a person. You might have been the dragon conqueror but all I saw was a woman who didn't know her place."

"Until you fell in love with me, right?" At Hiccup's silence, she let it sink in. "Just like you didn't realize dragons were living creatures until..." She didn't let herself say Fenrir's name, not knowing how he'd react, remembering the overwhelming expression of sadness and grief she'd seen on his face that day.

"Yeah." His voice was thick at the memory but he swallowed it down, closing his eye before he cleared his throat. "So...uh, about staying with you. You sure you don't mind?"

The heavy moment was gone, the air replaced by an awkwardness and she ran her hand along her arm, tilting her head. "I wouldn't have offered if I did. And once you're back to full health, I'll help you get your training back up too. We might ride dragons now but it's always good to keep our physical skills up if we get separated from them."

Toothless gave a grumble and shook his head at the awkwardness as though saying 'Humans!' in exasperation. There was a moment of silence between them, looking at each other before Hiccup coughed into a hand, gesturing down the path. "Uh, ladies first."

"Right, right." Astrid brushed her bangs away from her eyes before she started heading down the stairway again, hurrying in front of him while Hiccup started following, once again using Toothless to help himself walk as a small smile curled across his lips.

* * *

Over the next month, the atmosphere around Berk changed whenever Astrid and Hiccup were in the same area. The village was small, so of course information and rumors spread fast. The fact that they were two teenagers, unrelated and unwed, living in the same house, was more than enough to stir up the gossip meter that the villagers of Berk kept suppressed so that they didn't appear to be brown-nosers like the Bog-Burglars. The village was especially protective of Astrid, considering that they had all had a hand in bringing up the Hofferson girl after the death of her parents. It takes a village, as the saying goes.

Once Hiccup had gotten the clear from Gothi, the duo started his training to get him back to where his strength had been, though of course it wasn't going to come back easily. Being a runt and having had thirteen years of training be washed away by malnourishment, it soon became evident that maybe Hiccup wouldn't get back up to the standards that he held for himself. They worked on his blind side, which proved to be even more difficult since previously he'd favored his left hand despite being a bit ambidextrous. The one thing that separated him from other hiccups who would have given up, though, was his stubborn attitude and determination. Eventually they worked out a system where Toothless would fire a small warning shot to his left, which he'd pick up through his hearing, and soon he was able to pick up the sound of Astrid's axe sweeping through the air on his left side.

The initial animosity that he'd been met with during the first few weeks of living in Berk again after his last infiltration dissipated after he started pulling his own weight around the village. Gaining a job as Gobber's assistant definitely helped, though there were still some who didn't trust him. Snotlout being one of them. Hiccup made a face after his cousin as he left the workshop after dropping off a weapon, picking it up from the bench and turning it around in his hand with a couple of light twists in the air. "What's _his_ problem anyway?" he asked with a raised eyebrow over his shoulder to Gobber before he moved over to the sharpening wheel, starting it up with a sweep of his free hand over the surface. "I already told him I wasn't interested in becoming chief months ago."

"Ah, well, that's where it gets complicated." Gobber thumbed his nose. "See, the Jorgensons have always believed they've been the rightful heirs of Berk, rather than the Haddocks. Both lines descend from Grimbeard the Ghastly, the last Great King of the Archipelagos. Grimbeard had three sons, two of which founded Berk with me great grandpappy Bork. When you were, er, well y'know, Snotlout was picked to take over as heir being that he was the closest relative fit enough to lead the next generation."

"Idiot couldn't lead his way out of a maze of Fireworms if his life depended on it," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes as he turned the blade over to start on the other side. Since becoming Gobber's apprentice, he'd started saying things rather than thinking them, at least in the privacy of the workshop.

The older viking chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Aye, that he couldn't. Even though you said you wasn't interested in becoming chief, you're still a threat to his title. Snotlout, eh, he can be a bit of a handful with his attitude, but that's just the way Jorgensons are. You gotta take 'em with a grain of salt. Spitelout's a bit hard on the boy, which doesn't really help matters I guess." With a shrug, Gobber went back to his work, leaving Hiccup to his thoughts.

So it seemed like they weren't really all that different. Granted, Snotlout had grown up on Berk, but the both of them had had unreasonable expectations thrust on them at a young age by fathers that pressured them. They both used their cockiness to hide what they were really feeling...or at least that was the way Hiccup saw it. He didn't know if that was true or not of Snotlout, but it certainly seemed like that on the surface.

"Why's everyone been so cheerful lately?" he asked as he drew the sword close, examining the sharpness of the blade by nicking his finger on the edge. "There something going on?"

"Thawfest is next week!" At the blank look on the boy's face, Gobber sighed. "Didn't nobody explain Thawfest to you? It's our annual sporting event where the kids compete for the title of champion. Of course, the Jorgensons have been the victors ever since Thawfest began." He rolled his eyes before looking over his shoulder at Hiccup. "You should enter."

He looked up, raising an eyebrow as he pursed his lips together in a wry smile. "I'm not a Hooligan, though. Would I even have a right?"

"Boy, yer a Hooligan through blood." Gobber lumbered over and tapped his hook hand against the teenager's chest. "In here. Official member of the tribe or not, you were born here. I say that's as good enough a Hooligan as anybody else."

Hiccup looked down at the hook hand resting against his chest before he glanced back up, biting his bottom lip. "Well...I guess if it's okay..."

* * *

"What's _he_ doing here?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at Snotlout as he stepped up to join the other viking teenagers, taking position next to Astrid. Toothless sat down with a heavy thump behind him, huffing in response to the boy's question as Fishlegs and the twins gave each other looks. "I'm competing," he said with a small roll of his eye, turning his attention back to the podium where Stoick and Gobber stood, about to announce the beginning of Thawfest. He'd barely spoken to Stoick since waking up in Goti's cottage a month ago, but he swore he saw a twinkle of pride in the chief's eye, feeling a small measure of warmth flood through him.

"He can't do that!" Snotlout looked over his shoulder to his father for help, but it seemed like Spitelout was just as speechless as he was.

"There's no law that says you need to have been raised in Berk to be a participant in Thawfest, only that you were born here," Gobber stated, giving Hiccup a slight wink. "Double-checked the rules and everything. The boy will be allowed to compete."

"But he won't be able to do the Parent-Child Marathon," Spitelout said, crossing his arms over his chest next to his son. "The rules _do_ say you need to compete in every event but the tie breaker." There was a small snort from the older man as though to say why did they have a need for a tie breaker? "The boy doesn't have parents."

The crowd of vikings shushed when that was said, all eyes on Hiccup as though waiting for a reaction. He kept his expression schooled, hands on his hips, and if there was any doubt inside, it didn't show. He gave a small shrug at the assessment, opening his mouth to respond when-

"He does have parents." Murmurs rose up as Stoick stepped down from the podium, crossing the floor of the arena to stand next to his son, who looked up at him with a bit of shock. Stoick was looking over him, however, and directly at Spitelout as he mimicked his brother's stance, crossing his arms. "I _am_ his biological father after all, and there's nothing in the rules that doesn't say I can't." He glanced back down at Hiccup with a softer expression and a raised eyebrow. "If he'll have me, of course."

The vikings around them outside the arena started talking as they waited for Hiccup's assessment of the situation, a silence falling as the crowd grew so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Finally, he nodded, smirking eagerly as he held out his hand for Stoick to shake. The grip that met his was strong, maybe stronger than Alvin's, and his father chuckled before clapping him on the back as the crowd started to roar back to life.

Thawfest was on!

* * *

From that moment on, Thawfest training took precedence over everything else, and Hiccup was subsequently kicked out of Astrid's house. "But only for the next couple of weeks," she explained to him cheerfully as boy and dragon stared at her incredulously. "Just so we don't peek at each other's strategies. I'll be training with Johanna for the Parent-Child Marathon. You should take this opportunity to get better acquainted with the chief since you'll be racing together. See you at Thawfest!" After that, she shut the door in their faces, leaving Hiccup and Toothless to share a look.

As it turned out, Stoick had planned a camping trip for the lead up to Thawfest. "A little bonding experience for the four of us," he said, gesturing to the Thunderdrum at his side who he'd introduced as Thornado. Apparently he'd acquired the large blue dragon in the months Hiccup had been back on Outcast Island. Well, it seemed like it would be more of a bonding experience for Hiccup with the chief and his dragon, considering Toothless seemed comfortable around Thornado.

They set up camp far outside the village on the other side of the island, where they were bound not to be disturbed. With drinking water coming down to them from the thawed snow on the mountainside and the stream full of fish, the first night was just awkward. Or at least that was how it seemed to Hiccup as he picked at his cooked fish.

"Everything okay with your food?" Stoick raised his eyebrow after watching his son pull off a bit from the stick. He was amazed by the way he ate everything, even the head and eyes! Hiccup glanced up from where he was about to start on another one, mimicking the look on his father's face.

"Uh, yeah I guess. Why do you ask?"

"Most people leave the head intact, son." He chuckled at the confused look on the boy's face, like he didn't even know he was doing anything wrong. Not that he was, but Stoick just felt like pointing it out.

Hiccup shrugged, turning the stick around in his palm and watching the firelight from their campfire reflect off the flesh. "We never really had much food on Outcast Island," he explained, remembering saying the same thing to Astrid months ago. "Crops didn't grow well. Any food we did get was raided from ships that sailed into our waters. Or other humans." Looking up, he saw the look on Stiock's face, an expression of shock clear across his features and he shrugged again. "Why put good meat to waste? It was just going to rot in the ground."

"I had heard that the Outcast tribe was cannibalistic," Stoick said, stroking his beard as he tried to digest the information. His son, a cannibal. He gave a small snort, closing his eyes. "Well, I certainly hope I don't wake up hog-tied to a spit roast."

"I don't think you have to worry much." Hiccup inclined his head. "If it's any consolation, living in Berk last time waned me off it. I couldn't even eat a heart without wanting to throw it back up and it took a couple of mugs of mead to keep it down. Besides, I think my desire to kill you isn't as strong as it used to be."

The chief burst out laughing at that, disturbing the dragons from where they were resting nearby. "That's good to know. That's very good to know. Because we're going to need each other during the Marathon."

The boy leaned forward in his seat on his log, arms draped over his knees as he waited for his father to calm down. Stoick's laughter was so much different to Alvin's, with a lighthearted tone to it that the Outcast chief didn't have. "So what kind of strategy do the Jorgensons come up with? They don't seem like the very smart kind to me."

"Hiccup, that's your uncle and cousin you're talking about." Stiock raised an eyebrow at him, but that was all he said in defense. He slid his fire poker into the ground, placing his hand on Thornado's head to apologize for the interruption before he steepled his fingers. "My brother is our strategist when it comes to war. No doubt he's cooking up a few ideas right now."

"No doubt in regards to taking advantage of my blind side," Hiccup said a little bitterly, passing the rest of his fish to Toothless who swallowed it down in a great big gulp. "Astrid and I worked on it while I was recovering, but it's...not perfect." He winced at the admission. "I still miss things, and Toothless isn't going to be allowed in the race so I can't rely on him to shoot near my left side when something's coming for me from that direction."

"You'll have me watching your left side." The elder Haddock nodded as his son looked up with a bit of surprise. "The Parent-Child Marathon is all about trust. We'll be putting our lives in each other's hands at various points in time and we'll need everything we can to beat the Jorgensons."

"Then we'll need a plan that will combat theirs at every turn." Hiccup ran his thumb along his jaw in thought before he grinned, baring his teeth. The firelight made him look as vicious as he used to be, and he steepled his own fingers, tapping his index ones to his nose. "Tell me about any weaknesses or injuries they have..."

* * *

**Author's notes:** since we don't know much about Astrid's family at this point in time, I'm taking creative liberties as far as this fic is concerned. Now, Thawfest was one of my least favourite episodes but it was needed for the fic, thus I added in an extra challenge as well (also I will forever be disappointed that it wasn't spelt _Thor_fest like I kept hearing, goddamn accents). Hope everyone's been enjoying thus far and thanks for reading :B


	19. Chapter 19

Berk was buzzing with excitement as Thawfest got closer and closer, and by the time the day actually arrived, everyone was getting into the spirit of things. As the contestants returned from their training, there was a very, very different atmosphere about the village. Bets were on in regards to who was going to win, and there was a very definite pool of supporters between the Jorgensons and the Haddocks. Competition was a very big part of tradition among the people of Berk, and the idea that the Jorgensons could lose this year sent the rumor mill spinning out of control.

Stoick and Hiccup dismounted their dragons on the outskirts of the arena just an hour before the competition officially began, the boy walking down into the former kill ring while his biological father went to take his usual seat, Toothless and Thornado behind them. Snotlout looked over from where he was practicing, raising an eyebrow.

"And here I thought you were going to be too chicken to show up," he called over, making Hiccup turn his head to look at him.

"That's funny, 'cause I only see one chicken here and it's already laid a few eggs from nerves." The gathering crowd 'ooh'ed and fell into whispers as Hiccup watched the other boy's face turn a brilliant shade of red, unable to keep himself from smirking as Snotlout stomped over to him. If it was going to be this easy to rile his cousin up then at least his own personal entertainment was set.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, one hand clenched into a fist at his side and the other pointing directly in Hiccup's face.

"Exactly what you think it does." He grinned, leaning away from the other boy before Snotlout made for a swipe at his head. Hiccup swung out of the way, taking hold of the hand that had struck out at him and turning around on the ball of his foot, tucking it in neatly behind Snotlout's back. The crowd started talking in louder murmurs, watching the former Outcast wrap his free arm around their heir's neck easily in a strangle hold.

Hiccup clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in a chastizing way, shaking his head before he released Snotlout, tucking his arms behind his back and taking a step back away before he could gather his bearings and go for another hit at him. "Bit of poor form for the heir of Berk, so easily taken down not just once but twice," he said, referencing their first meeting as he tilted his head as Snotlout rubbed his throat, glaring at him before Hiccup held his hands up and shrugged. "I'll see you in the first competition, cousin."

Turning around on his heel and hearing Snotlout cuss at him behind his back, Hiccup made his way over to Toothless just as Astrid landed in the arena with Stormfly, raising an eyebrow at the bigger boy before she dismounted, reaching up to scratch her Nadder's chin as she turned her attention to Hiccup. "What's got his skivvies in a bunch?"

"Just some friendly words before the competition, princess. Nothing for you to concern yourself about." Hiccup waved a hand nonchalantly before he knelt next to his dragon, checking that Toothless's saddle was on tight enough. When she didn't give him a response, he looked over his shoulder, noticing her place her hands on her hips with a raised eyebrow. "What? So I riled him up a little, is that so bad?"

Astrid rolled her eyes before she crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against Stormfly's leg as she started to preen, watching him check his equipment. "You know that's just going to make him want to beat you all the more, right?"

"It's not a competition if it's not a challenge, now is it?" Hiccup stood from where he was kneeling and brushed his arms down as the twins and Fishlegs entered the ring on their dragons, mimicking her earlier pose as he placed his hands on his hips. He looked her up and down for a minute, tilting his head. "If you're going to snark at me, I take it your training went well?"

"I'm in top form this year." Astrid tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, letting a small smile cross her face at the fact that he'd taken care to notice. "Maybe even in the running to beat you and Snotlout."

He chuckled a little, raising an eyebrow. "We'll see, princess."

"What's with bringing the nickname back? Gonna think of me as an obstacle so you don't feel too bad when I beat you?"

"Something like that. Although I wouldn't count your chickens quite yet."

She opened her mouth to reply before she was interrupted by the sound of a horn and Mulch saying "Dragons and riders to your positions! It's time for the first event!" Astrid looked over at him before she glanced back to Hiccup as they started walking over to the starting line for sheep lugging, Toothless and Stormfly heading over to sit with the other dragons while they waited this one out. "So how did training with the chief go?"

"That would be telling." His lips quirked into a smirk as he lined up between Fishlegs and Astrid, the latter keeping him and Snotlout from interacting and for a brief moment he wondered why she bothered before realizing she was taking position at his left side. He glanced at her to give her a small smile before the sheep was placed across his shoulders with a bleat. His hands clamped down on its legs, shifting it into a comfortable position where he felt like he could carry it the whole way. They hadn't exactly gone over sheep lugging in the last week, mostly working on their teamwork for the marathon, but Stoick had given him a hint or two.

"Hey, Hiccup." He turned his head to look at Snotlout around Astrid, watching him grin at him when he realized he missed the start horn and take off in a sprint. Swearing under his breath as the other teens started in the second it took him to realize what had happned, Hiccup pushed himself off from the starting line, boots pounding against the concrete floor of the arena as he started running to catch up to Snotlout.

Out the inside of his right eye, he saw Astrid move away from his left side to let him catch up without having to brush past her to see who was next to him. The sheep on his back was warm in the cool autumn sun, and somewhere off to his right he heard Fishlegs bowl into the twins due to a lack of balance. Shifting around his cousin so the other boy was on his right, he grinned as he caught up to him, noticing the sweat beginning to build on Snotlout's face. "What's the matter?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as Snotlout glared at him. "Glue snail slime to your boots today?"

"You...I..." Snotlout growled under his breath and slammed into his side in an attempt to body check him out of the competition, but Hiccup held his ground, pushing back against him just as hard. "You have no idea what you're messing with," the Nightmare trainer hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh I think I do." He grinned viciously, shouldering Snotlout as the two boys ran neck and neck around the arena, breaking away from him and getting in front. Shouts were starting to rise up around them and he barely paid attention to Mulch's announcements, focusing instead on running. Hiccup didn't have the lead for long though, and in a second he was stumbling to the side after Snotlout's elbow slammed into him from his left side, causing him to waver as he heard the other boy laughing at him as he crossed the finish line, throwing his sheep down so hard he caused it to bounce and be thrown into the wall.

Hiccup regained his footing in time for Astrid to slow down her pace into a walk, catching up to him. She pursed her lips together as she took in his expression, the way his eye narrowed dangerously and his upper lip lifted into a snarl as both of them let their sheep down off their backs gently. She took hold of his arm, causing him to snap out of it and look at her. "Don't let him get to you," she said softly, turning so she was in front of him, obscuring his view of Snotlout's jeering taunts. "He's like that every year."

He pulled his arm away from her, ignoring the hurt look on her face before he ran his hand under his nose, looking at her with a wicked gleam in his eye and for a split second Astrid swore she saw his old self staring back at her. "Well it's going to be his last year so he should enjoy it while he can."

She felt her spine shiver at the tone of his voice, reaching for the hand hanging by his side. "Don't let it consume you," she whispered, cupping his face and pressing a small kiss to his mouth before she pulled away again, going over to join the others and not catching the look on his face.

* * *

Thawfest seemed to drag on for days and quite soon it became apparent that it was quickly becoming the Hiccup and Snotlout Show. The two boys clashed heads over every event, but because vikings were a violent bunch there was nothing stopping their brawls from happening, and nobody seemed interested in doing so. It was far too entertaining and added a little bit of excitement to what would have been an otherwise boring Thawfest had the Jorgensons continued their winning streak unopposed.

Hiccup pulled his tunic on the morning of the Parent Child Marathon, slipping his arms through the sleeves and pulling it over his head with his hair fluffing up. He'd started braiding a small portion of his hair into a side braid, considering that his hair was long enough to do so, and he reached up to start threading the braid into place on the right side of his head. Toothless watched from his bed, ear flaps perking forward as he watched his rider curiously. Hiccup paused what he was doing, glancing around the room. He'd been staying with Stoick since the beginning of Thawfest and sometimes it amazed him just how different it was compared to his room on Outcast Island. There was an actual _bed_ for one, not a pile of rocks in the corner that served as one.

There was a knock on the wall and he glanced over to see Stoick, already awake and dressed. He coughed into his fist when he realized Hiccup was paying attention, noticing the way the boy stood from his bed like a soldier standing at attention. Something else they'd have to work the kinks out of. The chief tapped his fingers together, looking for words to say. "So...today is the last day of Thawfest!"

"I know." Hiccup raised a hand to rub the crook of his neck before he shifted to finish off the braid, tying it together with a piece of string and a smirk. "Just one more event to go before we beat the Jorgensons."

"Ah, that's what I was here to talk about." He looked up quizzically as his father came further into the room, standing in front of him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're not taking your rivalry with Snotlout too extremely? I noticed you boys can barely stand near each other before it turns into a shoving match. Remember this is just..."

"A competition. I know, father." Hiccup clamped his mouth shut when the word came out of his mouth, biting his lip and refusing to look at Stoick. The hand on his shoulder slackened a little before it squeezed him gently. The boy coughed, shrugging it off. "W-well if that's all, we should get to the arena before they think we pulled out..."

"Wait." Hiccup looked over his right shoulder at Stoick as the chief kept his hand on his shoulder before he pulled it away, reaching behind his back. "I wanted to give you something before we left this morning." Watching as his biological father pulled a helmet from behind him, he felt something stir inside at the sight of it. His own Outcast helmet had been left behind on the Island when he'd left, and he reached up with both hands to take it as it was offered to him, looking up at Stoick as his eyebrows furrowed into a questioning frown. "Your mother made this for you while you were still...well, y'know. She would have wanted you to have it."

"Mother..." Hiccup breathed the word out as he wrapped his fingers around the horn, tilting it to look at it at another angle. Something from his mother. He remembered what Astrid had told him about her, how she was an adventurer and quester. He looked back up at Stoick, green eye searching before he sucked in a breath, placing the helmet on his head. Looking at the chief again, he watched a mixed reaction on the older man's face - happiness, then sadness, longing, regret, before it rolled back to the beginning. "H-how does it look?"

"Perfect." Stoick nodded his assessment before he made a noise in the back of his throat, placing one hand on his hip as his other clapped his son on the back. "Well! Let's get to the arena. We have a score to settle." Toothless got up and shook himself down, following the two humans downstairs and out the front door as they started to make their way there.

A definite crowd had gathered by the time that the Haddocks and their dragons entered the arena, all excited and chatting among themselves as they waited for the main event to begin. Considering Hiccup had best Snotlout yesterday in the dragons obstacle course, he was getting quite a few stares and well wishes despite his past transgressions against the village. He felt someone brush aggressively against his left side and turned his head to see Snotlout waving to the crowd. His cousin smirked at him, leaning in. "Better enjoy it while it lasts, Hiccup, because at the end of this Marathon they'll be cheering for me."

"Just like they were cheering for you after yesterday's event, huh?" Hiccup quirked an eyebrow and smirked at the expression on Snotlout's face as he moved over to the other end of the line to join Stoick, passing the twins and their father, Fishlegs and his mother and Astrid with a curly redhaired woman who must have been Johanna. Toothless took up position behind him, given that the dragons were also going to be part of this event, and the Night Fury trilled questioningly to him, which he just brushed off with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

It was almost time.

The outer ring of the arena was packed and no doubt the trails would be packed as well with onlookers wanting to see everything. Mulch grabbed his speaker horn, looking about as eager as everyone else. "It's that time again, folks! We're at the end of Thawfest for another year, which means that it's time for the Parent-Child Marathon! There's been some modifications made to the track this year, which I'll let Gobber explain annnnd over to you, Gobber."

"You'll all be startin' here in the arena, where you'll start the running part of the race." Gobber indicated the end point of the running on a crudly drawn map of the island. "You'll end up here at Raven Point, where you'll round to the coast and swim as though you were being hunted down by Hammerhead dragons over to Breakneck Bog - yes, Fishlegs, you'll be allowed to fly on Meatlug. From there, it's a flight back to the island on your dragons where you'll dismount and enter the one kilometer two-legged race - four in the case of the Thorstons, yes I know - back to the finish line around the mountain. Remember, no more than ten paces in front of your parental unit the entire way. This is a joint competition, kids! No holds barred!"

"Competitors, take your positions!" Hiccup lined up next to his father, ignoring the faces Snotlout was making at him from the other end of the line before Spitelout hit him over the head, and that was when he sniggered at his cousin's expense. "Annnnnd..."

The horn blew and Snotlout and Spitelout were off like a shot, everyone's dragons taking to the air, quickly followed by Astrid and Johanna who were soon overtaken by Hiccup and Stoick. The twins and their father got ahead of Fishlegs and his mother. Soon, the arena wasn't in sight, and within an hour the first duo to reach Raven Point was Hiccup and Stoick, having overtaken Snotlout and Spitelout. It was frustrating for Hiccup, because he believed he could have gone faster were it not for the ten paces rule. Stoick was old, there was no denying that, but as soon as they waded into the water and got deep enough to start swimming, Stoick was keeping pace with his son.

Hiccup stopped and treaded water for a few seconds to look behind him before he followed on after Stoick, keeping a few paces behind the older Haddock's strong swim. "I don't see them," he said with a small gasp for air, lifting a hand out of the waves to brush wet hair away from his face before he swam in order to catch up to Stoick's pace. "Astrid and the others are just getting into the water now."

"They're up to something," the chief warned, large arms making water splash around him as he swam. "Keep an eye..." That was all Stoick got to say before he was dragged underwater.

"Dad!" Hiccup took a deep breath and dived down under just as Astrid and the others drew closer to them, looks of alarm on their faces but they were supposed to keep going. Opening his eyes underwater, Hiccup saw his biological father struggling to get out of a trap of seaweed, and Spitelout and Snotlout swimming away underneath the other viking kids and their parents to take first place.

He swam deeper until he could float in front of Stoick, holding up a hand as a sign to stop struggling against the water weed. Lifting his leg, Hiccup took a knife from the inside of his boot where it was hiding in a small compartment, covered with fabric to make it look like a regular part of the shoe. Watching the way Stoick's eyes widened, he started cutting away at the seaweed, movements becoming frantic as he felt his lungs start to burn. Once he was sure that his leg was free, Stoick grabbed the back of Hiccup's tunic and started pulling them towards the surface, breaking air as both Haddocks gasped and spluttered for breath.

"Thanks." Stoick looked at his son as his brow furrowed, watching the way Hiccup gasp for air. Toothless was hovering over them, a trill of concern leavng the Night Fury before Hiccup waved him off.

"We have a lot of ground to make up," the former Outcast said, turning his head in the direction of where the others were swimming. They were almost specks on the horizon, but Breakneck Bog didn't seem to be too far off if the fog a fair distance away was any indication.

"We can make it up when we get to land and then get on Toothless." Stoick nudged Hiccup's shoulder in a motion that told him to keep going, and the boy nodded, starting to swim again. It was true, they could make up for lost time on Toothless, provided that Stoick didn't weigh him down too much.

The water started getting rougher towards Breakneck Bog, and as they started to surface from the water, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by weapons. It was too late to call to the others for help, and Stoick had his sword out before it was knocked to the side and he was thrown to the ground. Out the corner of his eye, he could see the Outcasts gathered around as netting was thrown over him. "Hiccup! Run!"

The answer that met his ears wasn't what he expected to hear. The boy was laughing and he looked over his shoulder to see Hiccup grinning down at him with a cruel smile stretched across his face and his one eye narrowed in glee. Stoick felt his heart drop into his stomach, shock rising on his face as Hiccup tossed the knife he'd cut him free with up and down in his hand.

"Once a Treacherous, always a Treacherous."

* * *

**Author's notes:** /sits here cackling/

It's been a month since I started publishing this fic on fanfiction, nearly two months since I started writing it. I'd like to take the time to thank each and every one of you for your support, whether it be by following, favouriting or commenting on my work. Your comments make everything worth while and while I don't get back to any of you, I appreciate it very much. I was honestly expecting a fair bit of negativity and criticism considering what I remember of this place from four or five years ago, but your reactions have been nothing but positive and encouraging.

Thank you for making my writing worth while :)


	20. Interlude 1: In the Bullrushes

It was the sounds of wailing that brought it to their attention.

It had just been a routine patrol to start with. Two Outcasts wandering around the southern shores of the island, making sure nothing had shown up from the storm the night before when the winds had been howling and the waves had been licking the shores in large crashes. Gromer had heard it first, turning around as he held his weapon up, eyebrow raising as he started moving away from Sigurd, tilting his head. It was a sound that was foreign to Outcast Island, for there were no female warriors, and certainly no babies, but still Gromer's curiosity got the better of him. Kneeling down by the water's edge, he pushed aside the dead reeds with his spear before he found himself staring down at it.

The child couldn't have been more than a few days old, pale as anything and dark wisps of hair stuck to the sides of its head, laying in a small wicker basket. The wailing stopped and for a minute Gromer swore it was dead before there was a gurgle and it reached up, grabbing the stick of his spear where it was hanging over its head. The movement made him fall back as he realized there was only one reason why there would be a child on the shores of Outcast Island.

It was a hiccup.

The smallness of its body was soon apparent to the Outcast warrior's eyes as it stared up at him with a wide green gaze, curiosity clear on its face as it stuck its fingers into its mouth. Gromer stared back at it before he turned his head, calling out for his patrol partner. "Sig, you better come see this!"

"What is it?" the older warrior snapped, walking over to where Gromer was sitting on his ass on the bank of the island, but his eyes widened just as Gromer's had when he laid eyes on the baby. There was no mistaking the fear on his face, even fear that was directed at a child. "That's a hiccup..."

"Bad luck it is." Gromer pushed himself up and dusted himself off, looking down at the child before turning to Sigurd, looking more than a little helpless. He had no idea how to handle children, nor how to pick one up. "What do we do with it?"

Sigurd snorted a bit as he sheathed his weapon and knelt, picking the child up in his arms. The baby shivered before it sneezed, and Sigurd winced as its snot landed in his beard. "We take it to the chief. He'll know what to do."

* * *

Alvin lifted the baby up in the air after it was handed to him, turning it around. Not many babies washed up on his island, and certainly no hiccups. He made a face as the two men who brought it in, raising an eyebrow. "Well, what do you expect me to do about it?"

"Well, we weren't sure what to do with it, sir," the younger one, Gromer or something, replied, sounding a little nervous as he tapped his fingers together in front of him.

The chief weighed the baby in his hands, earning a gurgling coo from it as the boy grabbed onto one of his fingers. He chuckled, pulling the baby against his chest. "You like that, eh boy?" Wide green eyes stared up at him as the boy pulled a thick finger into his mouth, gnawing on it with his gummy maw as Alvin considered what to do with it. He frowned, tilting his head as he looked at the boy before glancing to his lieutenant. "Savage, who do we know around the Archipelago who has eyes like this boy's?"

Savage closed the distance between them, leaning forward to examine the boy before a swipe to his beard was made and he pulled his head away, blinking down at the child. "If memory serves, I do believe they look remarkably like Valhallarama Haddock's, sir."

He let out a squeak as Alvin tucked the boy into one arm, placing his free hand on his hip. "Are you telling me I have the child of Stoick and Valhallarama in me hands?"

"Possibly! Er, well, I can think of no one else with eyes as green, and the boy's hair colour has a striking similarity to Stoick's."

The three Outcasts waited for their chief to make a decision as he pulled the boy away from the crook of his arm, watching him curl up easily in his hands with a yawn. A menacing smirk crossed Alvin's face, splitting his mouth as he started chuckling. "What do we say about things that cross into our waters, boys?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at his men.

"That they're ours by right?"

"Exactly. The boy's already been outcast from his tribe. Imagine the look on Stoick's face when he's all grown up and has him pinned, ready to kill him." Alvin lifted the sleeping boy up to examine him before he grinned at the image in his head. "I think I'll keep him." There was a noise to the left and the chief of the Outcasts turned his head, glancing in that direction before he turned to look back at Savage and his two marauders. "Get out of here," he growled, watching them stammer and fumble with their weapons before the door slammed shut behind them. Once they were gone, he shifted the boy in his hands, calling over to the figure in the dark of the room. "Why don't you come over and say hello to your grandson, mother?"

The woman that shambled across the room appeared to be old and frail, but looks were the last thing that should be accounted for on Outcast Island. Bright blue eyes gleamed as she crept closer, watching the way her son tilted the baby in his arms to show her. A grin split across her face, yellowed teeth showing as she reached out with a hand to touch the child, stroking auburn hair back as he slept soundly in Alvin's arms. "Yes. _Yes_. This is the boy. The one from my vision." Wrapping her hands around the small body, careful not to pierce him with poison-tipped iron nails, Excellinor lifted him from Alvin, holding him high into the air. The boy stirred, blinking open wide green eyes to look down at her as her grin turned vicious. "The next great King of the Wilderwest. Ohhh-ho ho, you have a great destiny ahead of you, boy."

"He's going to help me get back at Stoick first," Alvin sneered, pulling the child back from his mother's hands, carefully extracting him in a way that didn't include him being scratched by her nails. The last thing he needed was to lose his leverage over the chief of Berk. At the look on her face, he scowled. "I don't give a shit about your prophecies, mother, a delay of a few fifteen years ain't gonna change much."

She hissed, upper lip curling into a snarl. "If he's not raised properly, there will be complications when he gets older! He'll get _attached_ to things! To _people_! I have foreseen it, Alvin. That will be his downfall!"

"Then I'll just make sure he doesn't _get_ attached." The boy in his arms cooed and Alvin paused, lifting him in his hands to sniff the air under him before he flinched, passing him off to Excellinor. "Find a female slave to take care of him for now. He won't be of any use to me until he's old enough to wield a weapon."

"Bah. You just don't want to change his diaper."

* * *

**Author's notes:** I figured you guys could do with a bit of a rest before we continue with the heartbreak, so have a flashback :D A small note before people start asking questions about her, but Excellinor is not a random OC. She's Alvin's mother from the HTTYD books, a witch who doesn't show up until book 9. I did say this fic was going to have book elements and this is one of them. You don't need to have read the books to read this fic though, since this is an AU anyway.

thanks for reading :)


	21. Chapter 20

"Welcome back, sir."

Hiccup ignored the gesture from Savage as he redressed, arms slipping through chainmail as he shrugged it on, settling it around his shoulders before he took off the helmet Stoick had given him earlier that morning, shaking his hair out as he tossed it to the side. Out the corner of his eye, he watched Stoick toss around in his bindings like an enraged bull, corner of his mouth lifting up into a smirk as he shook his head before calling out over his shoulder to him. "I wouldn't bother if I were you. Those chains are reinforced to make sure that they hold you." Clamping an arm guard around his forearm, Hiccup turned on his heel, placing his hands on his hips. "I know your strength, Stoick. Struggling is useless."

And stop fighting Stoick did, even as his wrists continued to twist around in the shackles that had been clamped down on him as soon as the netting had been lifted. Looking up at his son, he watched the way the boy's shadow fell over him before he squatted down, arms draping across his knees as he grinned. "I can't believe you fell for the same act twice. You really are pathetic, Stoick." A hand raised and he patted him on the cheek condescendingly.

"Why this?" the Berk chief asked, sitting back on his knees, feeling air push against his lungs as he fought to swallow down his emotions. "I thought..."

"Because my revenge isn't complete until I kill you." His one eye narrowed as he grinned viciously. "Did you really think that I'd somehow been magically 'cured' by the disease called _love_? Did you really think that I'd been shocked into thinking straight due to Fenrir's death?" Hiccup lowered his head as he chuckled. "It was a little unfortunate, yes, but I've seen dragons die before. She wasn't any different from any of the others."

"She was yours!" Stoick barked, watching as Hiccup stood with a flourish and turned on his heel. "She was _your_ dragon, the one you bonded to!"

"The only dragon I need is Toothless." Hiccup closed the distance between himself and the Night Fury, running his fingers over the black scales of his muzzle as Toothless tilted his head up into the touch with a soft croon. "A Night Fury is a rather fitting dragon for the chief of the Outcasts, wouldn't you say?" At the silence, he turned his head to look over his shoulder at Stoick, smirking when he saw the look on his biological father's face. "Don't tell me you didn't realize the reason father wasn't here?"

"Let me go!"

"Ah, and here are our guests of honor." Hiccup spread his arms as a struggling Spitelout and Snotlout were brought forward from within a forest cluster, the younger Jorgenson thrashing around wildly before he spotted Hiccup. His eyes widened before they narrowed.

"I knew it!"

"Snotlout!" Spitelout barked, causing the viking boy to fall quiet and stop his struggling as they were dragged forward and deposited on their knees next to Stoick. Spitelout sent his brother a questioning look before his upper lip curled into a sneer. "I told you he wasn't to be trusted."

"Can you really blame me for wanting to think the best of my son?" Stoick hissed back, looking at Spitelout out the corner of his eye before he raised his gaze back to Hiccup as the boy took his axe from Savage, running his fingers along the flat of the blade.

"Mmm...I've missed my axe," he purred, testing the weight in his hands. Nearly two months without it had made him feel a bit anxious. He let his eye roll over their captives before it came to stop on Snotlout. Walking over to him, Hiccup squatted in front of him, watching the way his face broke out into a nervous look before he covered it up, trying to look tough. Hiccup rested the blade of his axe on the ground, cupping both of his hands over the butt of the hilt and resting his chin on top of them as he tilted his head. "I'm going to give you an option, cousin. Now, I'm going to kill both our fathers, but you don't have to die so unnecessarily." He lifted his head off and gestured with a hand. "With Stoick gone, Berk would be under your rule. Our people could unite under the same flag and we would rule the Archipelagos together with an iron fist. With your brute strength and my intelligence, nobody could stop us." He stood, swinging his axe over his shoulder as Snotlout looked up at him, the boy swallowing deeply as the weight fell on his shoulders. "I'd suggest you choose wisely, because only Outcasts are leaving this island alive."

As he turned on his heel to walk back over to his dragon, Snotlout bit his bottom lip, his chest heaving a little as he tried to keep his breathing under control. Turning his head to look at his father and Stoick, he whispered frantically. "What do I do? I'm not ready to lead Berk!"

Spitelout opened his mouth to respond to his son before Stoick leaned around him, scooting closer on his knees as he whispered in return. "Do it." At the look from his brother, Stoick raised an eyebrow at him and inclined his head before he looked back at Snotlout. "With you as its chief, Berk can still thrive under an Archipelago ruled by Outcasts. You can give our people a chance to live peacefully under Hiccup's rule. Otherwise, they'll become slaves or victims of war." At the desperate look on Snotlout's face, he gave him a small smile. "And when the time is right, you'll know what to do to free everyone. I know you can do it."

"But..."

"He's right, son." Snotlout looked up at his father, who had closed his eyes against his own words and gave a sigh before opening them to look at his boy. "An alliance with this monster is what Berk needs in order to keep thriving. These are the types of decisions you need to make to ensure the survival of our people. It's time you grew up, Snotlout." He nodded with a small smile of his own. "Goti and Gobber will assist you. Be proud of your line, son, just as I'm proud of you."

Snotlout sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, trying to quell the panic attack rising in his chest. This was no time to start sniveling. Squaring his shoulders, he looked over to where Hiccup was watching the whole thing, leaning back against Toothless, and he struggled to keep his voice from breaking. "Fine! I'll do it."

"I knew you'd see reason." Hiccup smiled and pushed himself away from his dragon, closing the distance between them as he snapped his fingers, an Outcast warrior coming forward and standing behind the other boy, who shuddered at the presence behind him. He tossed his axe up into the air, catching it by the hilt as he tilted his head. "Now you get to watch as I execute our fathers."

A block of wood was brought forward, with a dip in the middle of it and was placed in front of Stoick. Hiccup walked around the older Haddock, planting his boot in the middle of his back and shoving him forward, making him bend over in a submissive pose. The chief closed his eyes, feeling the flat of the blade trail up his back before it touched his neck. "Any last words, _dad_?"

Closing his eyes, Stoick let his body relax, shoulders slackening as he glanced up at the sky over Breakneck Bog. "I still regret allowing the Naming Dame to throw you into the sea," he said quietly, closing his eyes. "Perhaps...things would be different."

Hiccup said nothing in response to those words, instead raising his axe high over his head. A sickening sound filled the air and Snotlout flinched as his uncle's head rolled off his shoulders, blood splattering everywhere as Stoick's body was pulled away from the execution block which Hiccup gleefully pushed over to Spitelout with a jerk of his foot. "Next~" he said in a sing-song voice, watching two of his men grab Spitelout and wrestle him to the block, one of them holding a hand in his hair and the other keeping him from moving. "Any last words, dear uncle?"

Spitelout twisted his head Hiccup's way, eyes narrowed and hardened even as he heard the small noise his son made next to him. "Death or glory," he hissed out, holding himself as proudly as he could before the axe swung down in the same motion.

The Outcast chief took in a deep breath and moved his axe away from the body, looking down at his cousin before he snapped his fingers. The warrior behind Snotlout undid his bonds, and it took everything in him to stand to his feet without wobbling or looking sick. Turning back around to his men, Hiccup spread his arms wide, wrapping one around Snotlout's shoulders and feeling the other boy stiffen underneath him. "My tribe! Tonight we feast like Gods!" A loud roar erupted over the crowd of Outcast warriors. "Another alliance has been made! With the Berserkers and Hooligans at our side, the entire Archipelago will be ours within the next year!"

"Berserkers?" Snotlout's eyes flickered before he turned his head to look at Hiccup. "You mean..."

He grinned. "Dagur was quite eager to join my cause." He patted Snotlout on the back between the shoulders as he pulled away from the other boy, twirling his bloody axe before sheathing it on his back. "And I do believe I almost have Lady Tantrum of the Uglithug tribe swayed to my favor at my last request, am I correct, Savage?" He turned his head to look at his mentor, who was standing nearby.

"Quite so, your hideousness." Savage, always ready with an agreement, nodded in response. "If you don't mind my say so, it was quite genius of you to propose an alliance through poetry. It appeared to be to her ladyship's liking."

"Some people will say anything to stay alive," Hiccup murmured to his cousin before he clapped his hands together. "Now, I do believe you have an announcement to make to your tribe. I think we've been away from the race long enough, don't you think so, cousin?"

* * *

By mid-afternoon, after the shock had worn off that someone else had won the Parent-Child Marathon other than the immediate favourites, Astrid was starting to worry. She looked over to Fishlegs from where she was stroking Stormfly's neck, mostly out of giving herself comfort than anything else. "What do you think happened to them?" she asked her best friend, brow furrowing into a frown. "They were right behind us."

"I'm not sure," he said, running his hand over the bridge of Meatlug's snout before he looked up at her. "But this is Hiccup and Snotlout we're talking about. They've been at each other's throats ever since the competition started."

"I'm going to..."

Murmurs rose up from the crowd of villagers as a Nightmare swooped into the arena, Astrid's eyes widening when she recognized Hookfang and watched the way Snotlout slipped from his dragon's neck, dismounting. He held up his hand as people started talking among themselves when they saw Spitelout wasn't with him and Astrid felt her chest clench.

"Can I please have your attention," he called out, and an eerie, hushed silence fell over the gathered Hooligans before he lowered his hands. The look on Snotlout's face made Ruffnut bite her bottom lip - he looked lost, confused but confident and she raised a hand to tug Barf closer. "The Hairy Hooligan tribe is now in an alliance with the Outcasts." Strong voices started rising up before Snotlout raised both his hands. "I made my decision, and I made it for the good of our tribe."

"_You_ made the decision?" Gobber frowned deeply and stepped down from the podium, drawing himself closer towards the shorter viking. "You're not the chief."

"I am." Snotlout closed his eyes and swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise from his stomach before he opened them again, looking at Gobber imploringly. "Stoick the Vast is dead." As Gobber searched the boy's face, he fought down the urge to laugh at the idea of Stoick being dead. Snotlout bit his bottom lip. "Dad said you and Goti would help me," he whispered to the blacksmith. "I know we haven't exactly been on the best of terms but i_please_/i. I need your help."

Gobber reached up to stroke his chin before he drew his brows together and pursed his lips, straightening his shoulders as he spoke out loud. "Do you have any proof to your claims?"

"Check Hookfang's saddlebags." Snotlout closed his eyes with a heavy sigh and drew his hand down his face. "It was the only parts of them I could carry back in one go."

As Gobber made a grim expression and wandered over to the Nightmare to do so, Astrid and the other three stepped over to their friend while talk began to happen around the outer ring of the arena. The dragon conqueror placed her hand on his shoulder, frowning slightly. "Snotlout...where's Hiccup?" Her frown only deepened at his silence before a call from Gobber made everyone look over to him.

In his hand, he held up the head of the chief, the neck still wet with blood as Spitelout's was tucked under his other arm. Calls rose up from around the villagers at the sight before Gobber raised his voice. "Stoick the Vast and his brother Spitelout are dead. By blood right, the chief of Berk is now Snotlout Jorgenson." Seeing the head of his father, Astrid felt any anger in her at Snotlout drain away as shouts and calls rose up from the gathered villagers. "I think I'm going to be sick," she heard Fishlegs whimper to her right, and out the corner of her eye she saw the twins take hold of each other's hand.

Gobber held up his hand for the villagers to quiet down, somehow managing to keep his voice steady. "Instead of the closing ceremony for Thawfest, tonight we will prepare funerals for these two brave warriors, and tomorrow will be the ceremony to swear the new chief in. You can all go home!"

Questions unanswered but nonetheless complying, the Hooligans dissipated and Gobber tentatively put both heads back into the Nightmare's saddlebags. Once there was nobody else left around the ring, Snotlout placed his head in both his hands, groaning up to the sky. "This is so messed up," the newly appointed chief whined.

"What happened?" Tuffnut asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dad and I got to Breakneck Bog and were about to get on Hookfang when we were ambushed. Both of us were gagged before we could shout to any of you guys for help." Snotlout rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the ground and refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "Outcasts were there, and when Hiccup and Uncle Stoick got to the Bog, they had Stoick chained up too. Hiccup was behind the whole thing! I had to accept the alliance or we would've been defenseless!"

Astrid felt her face contort and something in her chest tighten. She hit him in the arm, causing sounds of alarm to go up between her friends and Gobber as she felt Fishlegs grab hold of her to keep her from hitting him any more than she had already. "You're lying!" she yelled. "You and Spitelout have always wanted the Jorgensons to be the head clan of Berk! You were bragging the other _week_ about how you were going to be a better chief than Stoick!"

"I don't want to argue about this right now!" Gobber placed a warning hand on Snotlout's shoulder before he could do anything, the Nightmare trainer's eyes beginning to well up. "I just watched my dad get murdered executioner style and you want to _lecture_ me about my behavior? To protect your little _boyfriend_?"

"Hiccup _isn't_ my boyfriend!"

"Oh that's a laugh. Sure could've fooled me. I just had to make the toughest decision of my life and here you are defending the guy who forced me to do it!" Snotlout pointed his finger at her, breaking away from Gobber's hand and pushing his face close to Astrid's. "Because of your boyfriend, our clan is in an alliance with the Outcasts and the Berserkers, to be followed by the Uglithugs by the sounds of it. I made the decision to keep our people safe at the cost of my dad's life. I'm so mad right now, so...so upset I can't even _begin_ to describe what I'm feeling! The entire Archipelago is going to war soon and it's _his_ fault. He played us all and _we're_ paying the price!"

Turning on his heel, Snotlout stomped away from the group, leaving Astrid to lean heavily against Fishlegs for support as the twins followed after him, Gobber heaving a sigh and raising his hand to massage the bridge of his nose. Things had just taken a turn for the worse.


	22. Interlude 2: First Time for Everything

The Terrible Terror was one of the smallest dragons, but a fighter at heart. It squirmed around in his hands, little legs kicking up in the air wildly as it struggled against him. Hiccup held its weight down with his body - being six years old and small as he was, it wasn't too hard for him to straddle the Terror's stomach, hunting knife in the hand that wasn't clamped around the little dragon's mouth.

He'd killed rats before. Big ones that crawled out of the rocky walls of the mead hall in search of food. Rats were easy to kill. They bit sometimes but it was easier to avoid than dragon fire. Smoke filtered out of the sides of the Terror's mouth, flames extinguished with nowhere to go but be inhaled back into the dragon's lungs.

The tip of Hiccup's hunting knife struck the center of the Terror's neck and it struggled wildly, bucking in an attempt to throw the boy off it but Hiccup was more stubborn, clamping his legs around the small body. The hunting knife dug into the scales, flesh tearing as the thin layer of protective armor gave way under persistent digging. Blood squirted up and Hiccup winced as it hit his cheek under his eye, claws catching at the arm connected to the hand holding its mouth shut. The Terror lashed around underneath him, before the body stopped moving and the claws dropped from his arm, leaving deep gashes underneath the torn cloth of his long sleeved shirt.

Hiccup sucked in a breath as he realized the tiny dragon had stopped moving, hand hesitating before he pulled it away. Smoke puffed up from its mouth once, but that was all. Staring down at the Terror, he giggled a little to himself. "I-I did it...yes, I did it!" Throwing his hands up into the air with a joyful whoop, Hiccup lowered his hand to wipe the blood on his face off, only succeeding in smearing it across his cheek the harder he tried. Eventually he gave up, instead focusing on snapping the spine in the neck and hacking off the last bit of sinew and flesh keeping the head attached to the body.

He felt exhilarated, his chest bursting with excitement and the heady rush of the hunt. His first kill. Well, his first _dragon_ kill, but it was more important than the rats. Wiping his hunting knife along his tunic, Hiccup stood and picked up the head with one hand, picking up the body by a leg and slinging it over his shoulder before he began to run back to the stronghold, scrambling over rocks and sliding down small hills. It was starting to get dark, storm clouds hanging overhead. There would be no raid tonight, but there was always wild dragons hanging around the rocks and the skies. He had to scamper back before one mistook him for a mouse or something.

A few warriors greeted him along the way on his way back to the mead hall, spotting the dragon corpse slung over his shoulder and blood smeared across his face and nudged at each other with grins on their faces. Hiccup had only started his training last year - they all remembered the disaster in the kill ring when he'd almost gotten killed. To see him with a corpse meant that it was beginning to sink in.

Alvin was standing by the hearth discussing things with Savage when the door to the mead hall opened, casting a glance out the corner of his eye as the weedy boy tumbled into the room, spinning a little before he caught himself and straightened up. He looked excited about something, and when Alvin caught sight of the blood covering one of the boy's cheeks, he raised an eyebrow, placing his hands on his hips. "What've you got there, boy?"

Hiccup came to a stop in front of him, gasping for breath before he beamed up at him, showing him the head of the Terror that he'd killed and pulled the body off from around his shoulder, holding it up as well, looking hopeful. "I...I did it, father. I killed one! I mean I know it's a Terrible Terror and they're not really all that dangerous..."

His rambling was cut off as the Outcast chief laughed, leaning down to ruffle his son's hair before he took the body to inspect the cut at the neck. "A bit messy, but we can work on that." Hiccup's smile couldn't grow wider at the praise, wide green eyes gleaming as Alvin looked back down at him, handing the corpse off to Savage before lifting the six year old into the air easily. "My boy's already growing into a killer. Those beasts won't stand a chance once yer fully grown." Hiccup giggled, the head clutched between his hands as he was set back down on the floor of the mead hall, nudged with a large hand. "Go wash up. Ya got dragon blood all over yer face, kiddo." Taking the head from his tiny fists, Alvin handed it off to Savage as well before taking the corpse back. "See this mounted. Kid needs to start his trophy wall."

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, father."

Watching Hiccup drag Savage off in the direction of his room, babbling happily, Alvin grinned to himself as he weighed the Terror's body in his hands, eyes dark as he looked at it. Yes, they could work on it. Soon, Hiccup would be ready to start killing bigger things.

Like people.


	23. Chapter 21

Astrid sat on the cliff near the arena, watching the dying smoke from Spitelout and Stoick's funeral vessels float up over the horizon, the orange from the flames now just a faint glow at the edge of the world. The sun had set hours ago, moonlight reflecting off the water with a blood red ring around it, but she couldn't sleep. Fishlegs had stayed with her for a little while before he'd finally patted her on the shoulder and returned to his own house to turn in for the night. Dinner in the mead hall had been a quiet affair. The shock that their chief and his brother were dead ran deeply through the Hooligan tribe, and Snotlout hadn't shown up for the evening meal. Neither had Gobber. Rumors had started circulating and Astrid had had to excuse herself from the hall before she hit someone.

She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she stared down at the water lapping beneath the cliff face, the tide a gentle lull. Some part of her was still waiting for Hiccup to come back, wanted Snotlout to be wrong. That they'd just been ambushed by Outcasts and Hiccup had been forced into the role.

"Stupid," she murmured into her arms, closing her eyes before she forced herself to stand from her seat. Brushing the back of her skirt down, she turned to leave and had only walked a few paces before she bumped into someone. "Ah, sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." Astrid shook her head, before she remembered exactly what the time was. Her eyes darted up, breath caught in her throat as she looked Hiccup in the eye.

Before she could raise her fist to hit him or scream, he tilted his head down slightly, taking hold of her by the chin and pressing their lips together. He felt her stiffen, trailing his hands down to cup them over her hips before she brought her own hands up and shoved him back, causing the kiss to break as he stumbled back, falling onto his backside. Astrid wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before she was down over him, pinning him to the ground as she sat on his hips.

"Where have you been, you _jackass_?!" A chuckle left Hiccup, who merely relented under her pin of his body, her hands taking hold of his wrists and pinning them above his head. Astrid growled deep in her throat. "Don't laugh! I'm so _livid_ with you right now, I..."

"Were you worried about me, princess?" He raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a smirk as he opened his hands submissively. Hiccup tilted his head at her, watching her face flicker through several emotions. "I'm only a few hours late."

"The competition finished early in the afternoon," she hissed down at him, taking both of his wrists into one of her hands and using her other to hit him in the chest, feeling chainmail underneath her hand. Astrid closed her eyes, biting her bottom lip. "Is princess still our code that I can trust you?"

"If you want it to be." He slipped his wrists out of her hand and pulled it down, pressing his right palm to hers, making her feel the scar he'd caused to his own flesh months ago. "I'm still bound to you."

There was silence between them, broken only by the sound of waves splashing against the side of the cliff before she looked at him, tongue sliding out to wet her lips as she thought back to Snotlout's words hours ago. "Did you kill Spitelout and Stoick?" she whispered, allowing the hand in hers to release her and come up to cup her cheek, fingers gliding over the skin there as he sat up, leaning back on his other hand for support.

"Yes." Hearing her take in a shuddering breath, he continued, tucking hair behind her ear. "I have a plan for the Archipelago, Astrid. A dream that can only be realized by our generation. Our clans have been at war for too long. Treaties will only bring so much peace and only last so long. They wouldn't listen to something like what I have planned. That's why we need to be rid of the older generation, why I had to kill them like I killed my father." Astrid bit her lip, looking down at him from where she sat in his lap, watching the look in his eye. The moonlight made him look half mad, reflecting in green as he leaned up, pressing his forehead to hers and cupping the back of her head as his voice dropped to a murmur. "I need a queen, princess. Someone to rule the clans by my side. I can't think of anybody else that I want for that position rather than you."

She glanced away, breath hitching before she looked back at his face, searching it. Seeing only truth, she shook her head. "I...let me think about it. I've had enough shocks today than adding one more to the pile." He inclined his head in a 'fair enough' motion, and silence fell between them again before she flushed, realizing she was still sitting in his lap. She scooted off him, rising to her feet and crossing her arms over her chest as he got up, placing his hands on his hips. Astrid glanced away again before she looked back at him, reaching up to tuck her side braid behind her ear. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I was looking for you, actually." He gestured over his shoulder to the forest leading to Raven's Point, where Toothless was waiting for him just at the edge. Astrid could just see his outline against the dark of the night, Hiccup looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting to find you here."

The sound of crickets chirping filled the air as she reached up to rub her neck, her free hand going to her hip before she managed to get out the question bugging her, closing her eyes. "Did you ever actually love me?"

She felt him move closer to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her close. Instead of pushing him away this time, she brought her hands up, fingers tucking into the back of his chainmail as he set his chin on her shoulder. "Some part of me did," Hiccup whispered against her neck, pressing a soft kiss to the flesh there. "I still don't fully understand it or how it happened. Some part of me still does."

"Tell me about what really happened on Outcast Island." Astrid tugged herself away from him, looking at him as she brushed some hair away from her eyes.

"Maybe another time, princess." Hiccup tilted his head to kiss her mouth again, just briefly before pulling away from her before he gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "I have things to do, alliances to plan. I just came to see how you were taking everything." With that said, he turned around to walk away from her, raising a hand to wave goodbye over his shoulder, and leaving Astrid to wonder just how things were going to turn out.

And what to do about his offer.

* * *

The next couple of months went by without much of an incident. Snotlout was initiated as Berk's new chief in a ceremony, with Gobber taking position as his adviser - the boy was only sixteen after all, and while Stoick had been steadily introducing him to the things he did on a regular basis as chieftain, it was still something that needed to happen. Next to Dagur and Hiccup, Snotlout would be one of the youngest chiefs in the Barbaric Archipelagos, but unlike the other two hadn't bested Stoick in combat for the title as per tradition.

The twins and Astrid had their birthdays, with Ruffnut and Tuffnut catching up to the others at last and turning sixteen while Astrid turned seventeen. There wasn't as much fanfare on the days as there had been in previous years, mostly due to the dark cloud that had been hanging around the village since Stoick's beheading. Slowly, life began to return to normal on Berk, word reaching them through traders that the Uglithugs had joined the alliance at Princess Tantrum's insistence.

Days when they'd been simple viking teenagers seemed to be further and further behind them, with Ruffnut's father starting talk of marriage to strengthen the alliance now that she was almost of age. In a fit of protest at the idea, Ruffnut had gone to their soggy dark place for a week before Tuffnut brought her home, though both twins looked sulky and miserable at the idea of one of them being married off. Their father eventually relented, though it was clear the idea was still something to consider.

Astrid and Fishlegs were the only two who really kept interest with the Dragon Academy, mostly with the latter being the one teaching the younger villagers these days. With the implication that the alliance could be going to war with the other tribes if they didn't join, he considered it better to be safe than sorry and passing the torch to the younger generation seemed to be the best option. Although a pacifist at best, Fishlegs held no delusions about what would happen should the Archipelago explode into war.

Snotlout barely hung out with them anymore. The title of chief came with new responsibilities that saw most of his days being filled, and even when he did have time to himself, something usually came up that spoiled the few moments of peace. Despite his bragging while growing up, he was actually quite humble as chief, surprising everyone to say the least. The adults of the village all agreed that it must have been the shock of seeing his father executed in front of him that straightened the boy out.

Almost three months after Stoick's death, a messenger Terror swooped into the great hall at dinner time, landing directly in front of the new chief. Snotlout paused in what he was doing before reaching to take the parchment attached to its leg, feeding it some chicken before he opened it. The entire hall seemed to stop in activity, watching as Snotlout wordlessly handed the parchment to Gobber and stood from his seat, squaring his shoulders just like he had done in the arena the afternoon of Thawfest. With a nod from Gobber, he opened his mouth to speak.

"In a few day's time I'll be heading to Outcast Island to officially sign the alliance agreement." A murmur rose up from the villagers at that. "I would like to request that these people come with me." A small cough in his hand to clear his throat, Snotlout continued. "Astrid Hofferson, Fishlegs Ingerman, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston." At the call of their names, the four dragon trainers stood from their seats, Astrid raising an eyebrow. "That's all."

As the villagers of Berk went back to their meals, no longer speaking in hushed tones, the teens came over to where Snotlout was standing, Fishlegs shifting a little nervously and Astrid and Ruffnut placing their hands on their hips and crossing their arms over their chests separately. "So," started Tuffnut, looking more than a bit confused. "Why'd you chose us to go with you?"

"Because I trust you guys." At the look of disbelief, Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, you guys, cut me some slack. You _know_ I trust you, and I know you'd get me out of a jam if it came to it, more than I can say for anyone else in the village. Hiccup said we're allowed to bring three to four people with us if we require it."

"You _do_ know that's just him asking whether or not he can really trust _you_, right?" Gobber rolled his eyes at the look on the boy's face. "A chief doesn't go into enemy territory for a peace treaty with more than one or two people, because more than that will be askin' for trouble. There's a reason why I went along with Stoick to most Things - he trusted that I would be the only one he'd need."

The small group fell silent at the mention of the chief before Snotlout rubbed at his chin, looking at his friends. "Well, Astrid has to come because he specifically requested her." At the flushed look on her face he rolled his eyes. "Probably wants to smooch he-_ow_!"

"Just because you're chief now doesn't mean you can say whatever you want," she sing-songed a little good naturedly, cracking her knuckles as he rubbed his shoulder.

Snotlout huffed before he shook his head, returning to the matter at hand. "So...I guess the other person I want is Fishlegs. Sorry, guys," he added, noticing the looks on Ruffnut and Tuffnut's faces. "But I'm giving you the most important job of all - protecting Berk. If this alliance goes wrong, I know you guys can cause enough damage to a whole army of Berserkers or Outcasts single handedly."

"Hey, you can count on us," Ruffnut replied as she high-fived her brother.

After confirmation nods from Astrid and Fishlegs - the latter rather nervously - Snotlout sat the parchment down on the table he'd been sitting at and started to write out a response. Reattaching it to the Terrible Terror it had come in on, the tiny dragon flew around the ceiling of the great hall before swooping out into the dark, Astrid looking after it and wondering why she'd been requested to go.


	24. Interlude 3: Happy Birthday

Adrenaline rushed through his veins in time with the thumping of his heart and the jeers of the watching Outcasts surrounding the arena. Hiccup was ten, still small and skinny and nowhere near as strong as he wanted to be right at this moment. Blood flowed down across his left eye from his forehead, blinding him in one eye from the deep gash the Monstrous Nightmare had created. He was lucky that the Nightmare's claw hadn't blinded him completely.

The Nightmare was fast, but Hiccup was faster. He ducked under it's next swipe for his head, bringing his sword up and slicing it into the dragon's upper body. The Nightmare screeched, bright green blood dripping down and splattering on the ground and Hiccup's hands before he pulled it out, running underneath the Nightmare's body before it could collapse onto its side. Behind its back, he drew his sword again and with all his might swung it again, this time severing part of its right wing from its body.

The dragon collapsed to the ground, unable to move due to the damage it had taken. The Outcasts surrouding the arena cheered and catcalled as Hiccup watched the Nightmare attempt to stand before he took his sword and sliced it into the leg on the same side. It wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. He looked down at it passively, green eyes watching it try to flare up its fire before he smirked, remembering the cut he'd made to its neck earlier.

This was his moment of truth.

Around him came calls for him to finish it off and he rolled his shoulders in almost a mimic of his father as he stepped closer to the Monstrous Nightmare, boots clicking along the floor of the arena. A grin split his lips as he lifted the sword above his head, watching the Nightmare growl and thrash around before he brought it down, slicing into the dragon's chest, following a mental line from his teachings. The dragon screeched, green blood sliding down its side as Hiccup began carving. He didn't remember how long it took for the Nightmare to stop squirming under his foot, to simply lay there, unmoving.

The heart was still warm when he pulled it out of the dragon's body, still covered in green goo from deep within the recesses of its chest. Cutting it free of veins, he held it high and triumphantly over his head, shoulders heaving as he heard the roar of approval from the other Outcasts, looking up to where his father was seated, unknowingly seeking the look he wanted to see. When the only thing that greeted him was the vicious smile on Alvin's face, he forced down the surge of disappointment and matched it with one of his own.

He was a viking.

* * *

There was a feast that evening. A great one, if the bodies laid out across the tables in the great hall were any indication. A boat had entered Outcast waters that afternoon, its sailors unable to fend off the onslaught. How fitting, considering it was their prince's tenth birthday. Hiccup, cleaned up by his grandmother before the meal, sat at his father's side, watching the hall be filled with merry making and drunken fools.

Slipping the last of the liver into his mouth and licking his fingers, Hiccup paused, looking out the corner of his eye at Savage as he suckled on his index finger before letting it slip from his lips with a soft popping noise. The older man was holding out an oddly shaped package, causing Hiccup to look at it curiously before glancing back up at Savage. Hearing his father chuckle, he looked at him, brow furrowing a little in confusion. "Father?"

"Take it, boy." Knocking back his mug of ale, Alvin raised an eyebrow as he swallowed it down before clapping his son in the middle of his back. "It's your birthday, innit?"

Hiccup frowned, turning his head towards the package in Savage's hands. Wiping his grimy hands down the front of his tunic, he stood to take it from his mentor. The weight nearly made him topple forward when he took it into his own hands, but he managed to heft it up, placing it down on his seat as the two adults next to him chuckled. Alvin had never given him a birthday present before, the idea of such a thing wasn't heard of among Outcasts.

Unwrapping the packaging, his eyes widened when he saw what it was. A dual-bladed battle axe, intricate runes and designs imbedded in the metal, sharp edges looking like they could cut through stone, iron twisting around the handle towards the wood.

It was, quite frankly, the most beautiful thing Hiccup had ever seen in his life.

"Thought you might like that." The voice snapped him out of his awe and he turned his head to look to his father, already downing another mug of ale. "Bartered it from Trader Johann a couple of days ago when he told me the news."

"News?"

"Turns out Stoick's chosen a heir." Hiccup froze, watching his father wave a leg from his meal in the air before he bit a chunk out of it, tearing at the flesh with his teeth and speaking around the food in his mouth. "Some kid named Snotlout. 'pparently the boy's 'is nephew."

Hiccup's blood ran cold, staring down at his new axe as Alvin continued rambling. Stoick had chosen a heir. The heir to the Hairy Hooligans. The title that should've rightfully gone to him. The title that would have _been_ his had he not been tossed to the seas. He gripped his axe around the handle, barely able to wrap his small hands around it before he hefted it over his shoulder, nearly toppling backwards before he straightened himself.

"Where d'you think yer goin'?"

"Training," he spat out, not realizing the way he said it as he turned away from the table and stormed out of the great hall, Alvin watching after him with a raised eyebrow and a wicked smile.

"Sir, should we go after him?"

"Let the boy be, Savage. After all, wouldn't you want revenge on the father that abandoned you?"

Happy tenth birthday, Hiccup.


	25. Chapter 22

**Author's notes:** okay guys, we have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is, I bought a new laptop last week but after three days it kept going to the bios screen until the hard drive fucked up. I lost all I'd written of chapter twenty four (twenty seven on AO3) and a few notes on where the story was heading. The good news is, I was able to replace that laptop and am back writing. This loss is actually a good thing, considering I didn't like the way it was heading and it gives me the opportunity to rework it to a way I think will fit with what I had in mind without diverging along that path.

I've combined the last few chapters into one here because I felt like they were maybe too short to really be considered chapters. Enjoy :) And the next Interlude will be the last one.

* * *

A Thing was usually a meeting in which all the chieftains in the Archipelago would gather to discuss goings on in their tribes and treaties be extended if necessary, new partnerships forged and a general catch up.

It looked as though this Thing would be different from the normal ones, Astrid guessed as the trio dismounted their dragons, feeling her feet touch the ground of Outcast Island. Looking out the corner of her eye at Fishlegs and Snotlout, it was hard to tell if either boy was prepared for this. Fishlegs ran his hand along the side of Meatlug's head, something she presumed was for his own comfort rather than her own, and Snotlout took a deep breath before he squared his shoulders and started walking towards the entrance of the Outcast's great hall, Hookfang behind him. When they reached the door, neither of the Outcast guards made to stop them or attack, both warriors instead simply looking at each other and nodded before opening both large doors.

The great hall was vastly different to the one on Berk. Instead of a warm atmosphre, it was dark and dank, lit only by the stone hearth in the center as opposed to the brick-based one in the Hooligan's hall. Dagur the Deranged and Lady Tantrum of the Uglithugs were already there, conversing with their plus ones, and Hiccup was seated on what looked like a very old throne, conversing quietly with a hunchbacked figure in a cloak, Toothless sitting next to him at attention. All activity in the room seemed to stop and all eyes were on the freshly arrived trio, but most of all on their dragons. Dagur and Tantrum looked at each other before glancing back as an Outcast warrior stepped forward, clearing his throat.

"Announcing the arrival of Chief Snotlout Jorgenson of the Hairy Hooligan tribe and his accomplices Astrid Hofferson and Fishlegs Ingerman." With that said, the man retreated back to his position near the door as the hunchbacked figure next to Hiccup pointed one gnarled finger towards Astrid and murmured something to the boy before scurrying off into the darkness of the hall.

"Ah, good. We're all here." Hiccup stood from the old throne with a bit of a flourish, spreading his arms wide in a welcoming gesture as Toothless lumbered along beside him, languidly stepping down the small set of steps leading to the chair. "Welcome to Outcast Island and to, what I hope, will be the beginning of a new era for all of us." He inclined his head with a small shrug. "Unfortunately not all tribes were, ah, so agreeable and will as a result be missing out on such a historic day. I belive formal introductions are due to be made. My name is Hiccup the Treacherous, chief of the Outcasts."

Astrid let that information roll around in her head, watching him carefully. Renaming himself from the Horrendous to the Treacherous was a bold move, but then again, all chiefs of the Outcasts had been Treacherouses if she remembered correctly, starting from Thugheart and going all the way down to Alvin.

"Dagur the Deranged." The teen in question chuckled a little to himself, leaning against the side of the hearth and tossing a knife up and down between his fingers. "Chief of the Berserkers."

"Princess Tantrum O'Ugerly, chieftess of the Uglithugs." Tantrum smiled sweetly, and Astrid swore she saw Fishlegs swoon out the corner of her eye, nudging her best friend out of it subtly.

"Snotlout Jorgenson, chief of the Hairy Hooligans." Snotlout inclined his head in a way of greeting, somehow keeping himself calm even though on the inside he was nervous. The other three chiefs around him were all way out of his league that he couldn't even begin to compare, and all clearly as insane as the next, with Dagur leading the charge on that one if his title was anything to go by. Then again, his childhood friend hadn't ever been on the sane side of things.

"I had no idea we were allowed to bring dragons, Hiccup," Tantrum said once everyone had been introduced, settling herself into a seat that had been brought with the Uglithugs by the looks of it, considering it appeared to be of different make compared to everything else in the Outcast's great hall. "Are we going to be signing the alliance with their blood as our fathers did before us?"

Watching the way the three Hooligans stiffened, Hiccup chuckled a little, shaking his head as he lowered his hand to Toothless's neck, feeling the Night Fury relax. "I'm afraid dragons blood will be off the menu, my dear lady. No, these dragons are ridden like the horses the Romans are so fond of. No longer wild beasts but tamed with tricks used by the dragon conqueror herself." He gestured towards the end of the crackling hearth where Astrid stood slightly behind Snotlout, causing her to flush when attention in the room was directed to her. "But we will discuss that at a length later."

"Where's the fun in signing something with regular squid ink?" Dagur whined a little, leaning against the stone hearth with his back to the other chiefs as he continued to toss his dagger up and down before he threw it at one of the Outcast guards, landing directly above their heads and imbedding deep into the wall.

"All in good time, Dagur. For now, I'd like to focus on what I gathered you all for." Hiccup's hand left Toothless's neck as he tucked an arm behind his back, using his free hand to elaborate. "As you are all aware, this is to be an alliance between our clans, the birth of a new kingdom. For too long we've been at war, not only with the dragons but with each other, and while treaties are nice and simple, an alliance is far more appealing for what I have in mind for the Barbaric Archipelagos."

When the look on their faces told him to continue, Hiccup pulled away from the hearth, turning on his heel and walking away until he stopped partway to the throne, tilting his head before he turned back around to look at the other chieftains. "When I was young, my grandmother Excellinor told me of a prophecy. _He who was cast out from his tribe shall gather together four others. Three heads on his hand, the dragon whisperer by his side, he shall rule the Archipelagos, the next great King of the Wilderwest_."

Astrid felt a small chill run down her spine, shifting when he looked directly at her when he said about the dragon whisperer. So that was why he wanted Berk in on this alliance, because she wouldn't have agreed to sign up for it otherwise. Three heads was obviously in reference to Alvin, Spitelout and Stoick, but the four other tribes part was very vague it seemed. Then again, prophecies made by crotchety old women were rarely straight forward.

"And you believe that you are destined to be this great King?" Snotlout asked, raising an eyebrow as he shared a look with Dagur, scoffing a little at the prophecy.

"I was cast out from my tribe when I was a baby. I have the heads of three men on my hands." Hiccup spread his arms, gesturing around the room. "You are all gathered here are you not? This alliance shall be the beginning of my kingdom. A kingdom of the deadliest tribes known to viking kind." Well, except for the Hooligans, but that could be worked on he supposed. "An alliance forged in blood, by blood, is a promise well kept. The other tribes are plotting to oppose us, but with the dragon whisperer and Berk's Book of Dragons, we could have the upper hand, should war break out."

"I..."

"No." Five heads swiveled around to look at Astrid, who was leaning her hands down on the edge of the stone hearth, interrupting Dagur and causing him to make a face. Snotlout looked at her like she was crazy and she shook her head, leaning back up and glaring at him. "I won't let you use the dragons as tools of war."

"Astrid, what are you doing?" Fishlegs hissed beside her, tearing his eyes away from Tantrum to take hold of her arm to wrench her back, but she shook herself out of his hold. Snotlout facepalmed as she walked around the hearth to come to a stop right next to Hiccup, pointing at him with an accusing finger.

"This was your plan all along? To follow some prophecy an old woman told you years ago and lead us all into battle against tribes we've had peaceful relations with for _centuries_? To use dragons as...as _weapons_?"

Hiccup held up a hand, looking at her imploringly as he pushed a finger to her lips, silencing her. "I know what I'm doing, princess," he murmured, turning her away from the others with a quick smile thrown over his shoulder. "The dragons won't be tools of war, I promise you that. They will be our equals in every sense of the word. Grandmother said that my rule would bring peace to the Archipelagos, ending all the blood fueds. Don't you see that this is a great opportunity for our people?" His tone of voice was suddenly raised, and Astrid realized he'd intended for the others to over hear this part. "To unite as one under the same rule?"

"What would happen to the three of us?" Both Outcast and dragon conqueror looked over their shoulders when Tantrum spoke, gesturing to herself and the other two boys. "Being of royal blood, you cannot expect us to step down from our positions as chieftains."

"Ah, but I do not expect that from one such as yourself, m'lady." Hiccup turned around, making a gesturing sweep to the three of them, and Astrid noticed the tone of his voice become sickly sweet. "You would be Lords and Ladies of your own islands, free to do as you wish within reason. Any and all who oppose us shall be met with a force none of the uncivilized world has ever seen! With the dragons on our side, we could rule for centuries." With a pause, he spread his arms and bowed like a jester. "I'll allow you all time to think this over. Please retire to your quarters. The alliance will be signed on the 'morrow."

The unsaid 'this is my territory, any decision that isn't made in my favor will be met with consequences' hung in the air, but was understood. They were on enemy territory for sure, until the alliance was formed. The three chiefs and their guests were lead off and Astrid went to follow after Fishlegs and Snotlout and their dragons before her arm was taken hold of in a tight grip. The iron doors slamming shut echoed through the room as she turned to look back at Hiccup, whose fingernails dug into her arm.

"_What_ do you think you're doing?" he hissed at her, his one eye narrowing and reflecting firelight from the hearth. When she jerked her arm away, he relented his grip, pulling his hand back and away to fall by his side as his other came up to his hip. "Speaking out of turn like that! Do you _want_ to make me look like a fool?"

"I won't help you train dragons if they're going to be used for warfare!" she snapped, taking a step back.

"Do you know what the other tribes will do once they learn that we are going to make a kingdom, princess?" The word made her stop still in her tracks, frowning as she tucked some hair behind her ear. "They'll attack us! A group of tribes branching off and forming a kingdom, even a fledgling one, will invite them to destroy us while we're weak. With dragons on our side, we'll be able to survive that initial first encounter and show them how strong we are together."

Astrid looked him in the eye, searching it for the truth and her brow furrowing deeper as she came up with no lies. And, in a way, she knew he was right. If anybody caught wind of this before it came to fruition - and it sounded like he'd sent out invitations to most of the tribes to join the alliance but they'd rebutted the offer - a small kingdom would be attacked. "Then why gather together two of the most violent tribes in the Archipelago?"

"Wouldn't you rather have two of the most violent tribes in the Archipelago on your side rather than against you?" he asked simply, raising an eyebrow at her. Shaking his head as realization dawned to her, Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead. "I know what I'm doing, princess."

Astrid made a face when he kissed her, looking up at him with a grim expression before she finally sighed and relented. "I hope you do." Not saying much else, she reached to pull his hand off her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze before she walked away from him to be led down the same hallway Fishlegs and Snotlout had been led through.

"So that's the girl." The hissing voice made Hiccup turn around to look behind him, seeing the hunchbacked figure from earlier sitting there, staring up at him through the cloak around them. "The one that ails you."

"_Nothing_ is to happen to her, grandmother," he hissed back, turning around to face her fully. Beside him, Toothless growled, hackles raising before he placed a hand on the Night Fury's snout to calm him down. Glancing at his dragon, Hiccup turned his eye back to the old woman, watching her cautiously. "You said so yourself in the prophecy you told me as a child. I need the dragon whisperer at my side to build my kingdom."

The witch eyed him before she let a grim smile cross her face, wicked and filled with gaps between her teeth. "Ah, but you forgot the important part of the prophecy, my dear boy. _The dragon of the messenger of the moon will restore the people of the village. The queen of war will seduce the king of evil_."

"Are you suggesting that _Astrid_ is the queen of war?" Hiccup rolled his eyes in exasperation and started pacing along the floor in front of the throne, hands waving in the air. "You heard her, grandmother. '_I won't let you use the dragons as tools of war_'," he mocked in his best Astrid voice before he returned his tone to his normal one. "Bah. _Women_."

"You forget that people can be swayed, Hiccup," Excellinor cooed, closing the distance between them and placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, turning him around to face her. "Don't you worry about a thing, dear." She pinched his cheeks between her fingers before he batted her gnarled hands away. "I'll take care of everything."

* * *

"So now what're we going to do?" Fishlegs watched Snotlout pace the room that they'd been lead to, noticing the way the other boy was chewing his bottom lip, arms crossed behind his back. He sat on the rocky floor next to Meatlug, who he was scratching underneath the chin. They'd been left to their own devices but he was pretty sure there was a guard outside their room should they even try to leave. By the looks of it, Hiccup wasn't taking any chances.

"I don't know!" Snotlout whirled around on his foot, facing Fishlegs with a small amount of confusion on his face before he threw his hands up. "Quit looking at me like I have all the answers!"

"You're the chief, Snotlout. Like it or not, you _have_ to have all the answers," the larger viking said with a gentle reminder before he sighed. "Well, you already agreed to have Berk be part of this alliance in the first place. What's the next step?"

"Going through with it, obviously." Snotlout gestured to the door. "If I don't, we don't get out of here alive and the entirety of Berk would be under siege in a matter of days. I mean, I left the twins there but I think they'd do more harm than good in defending our village."

"He's played us into a corner," Fishlegs responded, standing from where he was seated and crossed an arm over his chest to rest his hand in the crook of his elbow, tapping his other to his chin. "It's like he's playing Hnefatafl[1]." He paused before he shook his head. "No, he's been playing that all along. Moving us all into place to create this...ideal kingdom he told us about."

Snotlout raised an eyebrow, lifting a hand to his head to scratch the back of his neck. Gobber had been teaching him how to play Hnefatafl in the hopes of improving his battle strategies to something other than 'charge and smash', but the end results were still on the cards. "You've played Hnefatafl before, Legs. What're our options?"

There was quiet from the Gronckle specialist before he spoke again, blue eyes flicking this way and that as he rolled it over in his head. Now that he was thinking about things in term of board games, he had a much clearer vision. "When you have everyone backed into a corner or taken like this..." His eyes widened considerably before he looked at Snotlout. "You sacrifice the Queen to make another strategy."

Surprisingly enough, Snotlout caught on, staring back at the other boy in disbelief. "He's going to give us no choice but to hand Astrid over." So it seemed like some of Gobber's teachings had settled into his brain. He crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his fingers against his forearm before he glanced back up at Fishlegs. "But did you see the look on his face when he saw only the three of us come in? He was counting on us to bring Ruff and Tuff as well." And he would've walked right into it if he'd brought them along instead of leaving them behind like Gobber suggested.

"So we have the beginning of our second strategy," Fishlegs continued for him, starting to pace himself. "With Ruff and Tuff back on Berk, he doesn't have all of us cornered like he was counting on. We can make a gamble with this that he's already making some changes to whatever plan he had when he had the three heads of the tribes he wanted to make an alliance with all in one place. If we go by the assumption that Astrid is the Queen piece here and _not_ Princess Tantrum..." Which he was fairly certain was the right assumption given Hiccup's previous interactions with her. Fishlegs paused in his pacing, rubbing his chin. "There's more to the prophecy than he's letting on."

"If it's even true."

The door to their room opened and Astrid and Stormfly entered, the latter ducking her head and squawking, wings ruffling as the door was shut before her rider drew a hand up to rub her under the chin. Noticing the looks on Snotlout and Fishlegs's faces, she raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

The two boys shared a look before the chief gestured for Fishlegs to talk. "Well, we think we've figured out the majority of Hiccup's plan for the duration of however long we're here."

Astrid pursed her lips together, frowning slightly. She couldn't deny that what he'd said to her after everyone had left the room had left her a bit weirded out, but that was probably because she was used to him acting a bit differently, however fake the acting had been in the first place. She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning to one side close to Stormfly. "Go on..."

"He's been playing us like a board game this whole time," Fishlegs started, elaborating with his hands as he turned to face her. "Ever since he washed up on Berk the first time. I'm not sure when his motives changed, maybe it was after Alvin killed Fenrir, maybe it was before then, but at some point in time, he started working us all into a corner. He's taken Berk's King and Rook - Stoick and Spitelout - and set up a Knight - Snotlout - to be disguised as the new King." There was an indignant 'hey!' from said teenager and Fishlegs hurried up with his explanation, flushing a little before he continued. "We _think_ his next step is going to involve an ultimatum - handing the Queen over, by which we'll have to make a new strategy involving the Pawns back home - Ruff and Tuff."

Astrid tapped her finger to her chin. She understood most of what he'd just said, considering that she'd played Hnefatafl before. After thinking it over, she uncrossed her arms and put them on her hips. "So who's the Queen?" At the looks they gave her, she blinked owlishly at them before shaking her head. "Ohhh no. No!"

"Think about it." Snotlout gestured to her, placing his free hand on his hip. "He calls you 'princess', treats you differently to the way he treats everyone else, even before we found out that he was evil all along. He obviously holds you in high enough regard to consider you a potential Queen for this kingdom of his. Trust me, that's the only thing I agree with him on."

"Besides, you guys lived together for little over a month before...before Thawfest," Fishlegs said, placing his hand on Meatlug's head when she started sniffing her rider.

"Yeah, well, that was before..." Before he betrayed Berk when he killed Stoick and Spitelout. Astrid lifted her hand to rub the back of her neck, ducking her head when she remembered their conversation that night when he'd come back. Some part of him loved her, but he couldn't understand why or how. She wondered if that still held true even three months down the line. She glanced back up at the other two Hooligans, looking at both of them before she sighed and glanced away again. "He offered to make me his Queen before, back when I came to rescue you." She gestured to Fishlegs. "I told him then and there that my loyalty was to Berk and the dragons. Why should living with me for a month and a bit change that?"

"Well, it might be time to prove that loyalty." Fishlegs gave her a grim smile - appreciative as he was about it, he still remembered what had happened. "For now, you could act as our insider if he's willing to share information with you. Either way, we need to stop him. Before he's crowned King."

There was an uneasy silence that fell between the three of them before Astrid tucked her hair behind her ear, looking at Snotlout as she lowered the hand against her neck. "It's your call, chief."

"Argh, why are you putting the pressure on me?" Snotlout smacked his palm to his face before he dragged his hand down it, rolling his eyes with a small sigh. It was a bit of a rhetorical question by now, considering his position. He pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed it before he raised his other hand. "We'll go with what Fishlegs suggested. I don't exactly like the idea any more than what you do, but he's probably got something else up his sleeve if we don't agree to sign the treaty. There's only so much Ruff and Tuff can do back on Berk if war breaks out due to us not agreeing."

Astrid crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face. "Alright. I'll go find him and put on the charms, I guess." With a bit of a mockingly sweet smile, she raised her hands to part her hair fluttering her eyelashes while the two boys sniggered behind their hands.

Hopefully this was going to be easy...

* * *

After wandering around and asking several guards, they pointed her to a certain spot on the island where their chief could be found at this time of day. Astrid tilted her head as she approached him, watching the way Hiccup shifted in his spot as he stared out towards the horizon. Toothless turned his head when her boot accidentally kicked at a small group of rocks, the Night Fury making a trilling sound in the back of his throat before he sat up straight, ears perking in her direction. She gave him a small smile, but Hiccup didn't turn around from the wall of rock he was sitting against.

Toothless shambled around to his other side, nudging him to break him free of his reverie. "Toothless, what are you...?" A low croon was his answer and a jerk of his nose in her direction found Hiccup turning his head, standing when he saw Astrid there. "A-Astrid!" Realizing where they were, Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "How exactly did you find this place?"

"One of the guards told me," she said, stepping forward and cupping one hand over the other in front of her as she followed where he'd been looking before glancing back at him. "Said this was your thinking spot."

"Well I guess it's not exactly a secret." He rubbed the back of his neck and then lowered the hand to place it on Toothless's head, glancing back out to see before returning his gaze to her, his eye softening. "I didn't think you'd want to talk to me after earlier."

She shrugged, giving him a small smile. "I'll admit, I acted out of turn back there. I'm not a chief so I can't exactly sway your decisions." Astrid reached up, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Nor will I have any say in this...kingdom you're building."

Hiccup reached to take one of her hands, pulling her towards him as his free hand trailed down the side of her face, taking hold of her chin. "You could." His lips quirked a little, not exactly a smirk but not exactly a smile either. "The offer to be my Queen still stands. Uniting our tribes would make us stronger while my kingdom is created."

"Ruffnut's dad said something like that when he tried to convince her to marry someone from one of the other tribes." Reaching up, she took hold of the hand surrounding her chin, turning it over to see the faded scar where he'd sworn his blood oath to her. Pressing her lips to it in a light kiss, Astrid glanced at him before she smirked. "Although Snotlout said something about you trying to woo Princess Tantrum over to your side with poetry. Should I be jealous?"

He laughed a little in embarrassment at that. "That was just to get her onto my side, not to have her as my Queen. There's a difference."

"Oh really?"

"Yes really." Hiccup gave her a slightly playful shove, even though it was only a small one, before he pulled his scarred hand from hers, cupping her cheek and running the pad of his thumb under her eye. "So what does that mean?"

"I'll be your Queen." Watching the way his eye lit up was kind of...amusing to say the least. She smiled, tilting her head into his hand. Fishlegs and Snotlout had been right. "On the conditions that Berk isn't harmed and that the dragons are treated as equals and not tools."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" He chuckled a little, shaking his head as he inclined his head over his shoulder to Toothless. "My warriors know that dragons aren't meant to be killed or used anymore, that they're sentient beings." Hiccup raised an eyebrow at her. "Didn't I say that you'd taught me more than I ever dared to imagine?"

"I thought that was a lie," Astrid replied simply, mimicking the look on his face.

"Touche."

"Sooooo..." She wrapped her arms around his waist, tilting her head as she rocked a little on her feet. "Now what?"

"At least I don't have to pay dowry." That earned him a hit on the arm, even as he grinned and took hold of her chin, placing a kiss on her mouth. "Well, you don't need to worry about doing anything Queenie yet, considering I don't have a kingdom as of right this moment. But..." Hiccup reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "...Would you consider moving to Outcast Island?"

"Mmm...I'll think about it."

"Very well then." He pressed their foreheads together, the corners of his lips quirking into a smirk, scarcely unable to believe his luck. There was no way what Excellinor had said about her was true. His kingdom would come in time, but for the moment he would enjoy stringing his Queen up in a new web of lies.

* * *

[1] Hnefatafl was a type of board game vikings would play, similar to chess. Nothing much is known about how the game is played other than that it's at a 2:1 ratio so I took some creative liberties and made it like chess while I was writing it up.


	26. Interlude 4: Promises

**Author's notes:** this one's set a few days after Hiccup first bonded with Fenrir. enjoy :)

* * *

She was trying to get closer to him again.

Hiccup opened his eye as his ears caught the sound of shuffling along the grass of his camp. The Nadder stopped crawling forward when she realized he was awake, shoulders of her wings hunching and looking much like a child with their hand caught in the bread tin. The fire in the middle of a circle of rocks had died out hours ago, the only light the moon.

"You're persistent aren't you?" He felt silly, talking to a dragon, but it seemed to understand him. She tilted her head, looking at him curiously as he sat up against the rock he'd been using as a shield for his back. "I'll give you that much, dragon." She cooed, taking that as an invitation to sneak closer, talons barely making a dent in the earth. He sighed and gave a roll of his eyes, gesturing her over. She came to crouch next to him before she curled up at his feet, looking at him with wide, innocent golden eyes.

It had been a couple of days since the little princess had bonded him to this Nadder, and he still felt an uneasy thumping in his chest when it came closer to him. It sniffed at him, then shifted as close as it could until he shifted away, taking that as a hint that she was in as much personal space as he would allow. Once he was sure that she wasn't going to try any closer, he relaxed marginally, still on edge.

Hiccup fingered the dagger at his belt, rolling it over in his hand as he looked down at it, moonlight catching on the blade. It was a knife he'd had for a long time, one that had been the cause of his first dragon kill. He remembered the Terrible Terror, the way its chest had started moving fast under his small frame, the look in its eyes as he clamped its mouth shut and dug the knife into its neck. It was unmistakable now that it had been scared of him. Before, such an expression had filled him with an inexplicable need to kill more dragons, to prove his worth, but at the moment he felt sick to his stomach at the idea.

"What the Hel is _wrong_ with me?" Seething in annoyance, he threw the knife, watching it hit dead center in the trunk of a tree opposite him. The noise made the Nadder lift her head from where she had nestled her head in the crook of her wing, a squawk of concern for her rider leaving her. Hiccup sneered at her before he noticed the expression on her face. Oh right, dragons didn't...like weapons. "Sorry, I...ugh, what am I _apologizing_ for?"

Standing with a flourish from where he had been sitting with his back to his rock, Hiccup stomped over to the tree and yanked his knife back out of the bark, when something caught his eye. Kneeling down, he brushed some flaking bark aside until he pulled it back to reveal what looked like a heart and the runes for V and S, childishly carved like a crude secret.

Pulling his hand back as if he'd been bitten by an eel, Hiccup stared at the old carving, faded slightly with age but nonetheless profound. He knew little about his mother - Alvin had always ranted about Stoick, never about her - but he knew her name. Valhallarama the Brave, the Outcasts called her, strong as she was valiant and a renowned quester. "Mother..." The word left him before he was able to stop it, and he scoffed at himself, shaking his head before digging his blade into the bark of the tree trunk.

It took a bit, but he hacked the runes out of the bark, anger growing and bubbling inside before he snapped the wood off, breaking the heart in half and turning around to throw it into the fire pit. "Fenrir," he snapped, pointing in the direction of the pit and watching as the Nadder spat a blast of fire into it, alighting the old carving as Hiccup started shaking. With a croon, she stood, cautiously closing the distance between them before she saw him drop the knife with a clatter to the forest floor. She wrapped her long neck around his shoulders, watching him grip the sleeves of his shirt as he stared at the wood as it cracked and burned.

Hiccup dug his fingers through his hair, sighing as he felt the anger dissipate somewhat. He shook his head, nails digging into his palms. "I'm going to make him pay, Fenrir," he hissed out, hearing her trill in the back of her throat behind him as embers floated into the sky. "I'm going to humiliate him, show him what I could have been if he'd let me _stay_ and then when he thinks everything is okay between us, I'll behead him like he deserves to be. And then Berk will know. Berk will know my fury and cower in the grasp of Hiccup the Horrendous."

He promised that.


	27. Chapter 23

Excellinor raised an eyebrow as her grandson hummed, watching him sharpen his axe in the light of the hearth, a whistling sound leaving his throat as he lifted the blade to inspect it. Hiccup had been in an obnoxiously good mood since returning to the Outcast stronghold after the end of that meeting had gone sour, a strange thing indeed. She hadn't seen him this, well happy for the lack of a better term, since returning home three months ago with the bodies of his true father and his uncle. It was well past the evening and stars had started rising when he'd come in, a rather pleased look on his face.

"You seem pleased with the events of today, child," she cooed, shambling over in a shuffling little walk. When he looked up at her with his one eye, the witch paused, taking in the expression in it. Never before had she seen such light in what was usually a cold gaze, although there was still perhaps some degree of coldness to it. Excellinor tilted her head, a wicked smile crossing her face. "I take it things have gone to your liking?"

"In more ways than you could possibly imagine, grandmother." He shifted in his seat on the floor resting against Toothless, one final noise of stone crossing metal before he deemed his axe sharp enough. Standing and earning a noise of discontent from his dragon, Hiccup tossed the weapon into the air once before throwing it at an imaginary target, the blade cutting into the wood of one of the few tables in the room and startling the Outcast it landed near. As the axe was brought back to him and presented with a low bow before the mook scampered off, Hiccup tilted his head, smirking down at the shorter woman. "Why shouldn't I be pleased? This time tomorrow, my kingdom will be realized when the tribes sign the alliance agreement."

"And what if they refuse?" Her purred question was met with an obvious answer when Hiccup threw his axe at the longer table in the great hall, slicing into the remains of the meal that had been laid out for the Outcasts, while he'd seen to it that the other tribes had been given fish. Excellinor nodded her approval, turning to look at him as she reached up, cupping his face with long, gnarled fingers tipped with poisonous iron nails. "Ah, my child. So much more obedient and deadly than my own son."

"Please, grandmother, stop treating me like a boy." He snorted and tilted his head away from her hand, mindful of her claws before he walked over and took his weapon from the body, shaving off a piece of meat for himself and slipping it into his mouth to chew on the way back over, mouth curling wickedly. "In any case, Berk is mine, as is their little dragon conqueror. Once the Berserkers and the Uglithugs have been assimilated into my tribe and become part of my army, the entire Archipelago will be mine to rule."

"I have no idea why you want the Hooligans," Excellinor said with a small huff, gesturing him to follow her in case there was anyone listening in on their conversation. The two of them walked down a corridor, quickly followed by Toothless after the Night Fury got up and bounded after them. "They're weak, lacking the call of blood that many of the clans do. Why I'd be surprised if Stoick and his brother were even allowed in Valhalla." Out the corner of her eye, she saw Hiccup twitch at the mention of his real father, his grip tightening on his weapon. Good, good. He was still irritated whenever Stoick was mentioned. Not quite as bloodthirsty as before but it came in spades. She had so hated the way that Berk had softened her grandson.

"Because without them, we wouldn't have access to the dragon conqueror," he argued with a small shake of his head, mentally pushing back that she had agreed to be his Queen for now. "I've only been able to tame so many dragons for our tribe from what I learned during my time infiltrating the Hooligans. Having her on our side, having her trust, will prove to be more effective."

"She's dangerous is what she is," the witch said with a hiss, shifting so that she could look at her grandson out the corner of her eye. "She could upset the delicate balance that we've worked so hard to create! She is the chosen of Freyja, I keep telling you, just as much as you are the chosen of Loki, and she will destroy you, fool boy!" Before Excellinor could blink, she was pinned to the rocky wall of the hallway, the curve of Hiccup's axe pressing against her wrinkled throat. Blue eyes glanced down at the weapon before they darted back up to her adopted grandson.

"I will not allow you to speak ill of my Queen," he growled in her face, the same noise coming from his dragon before Hiccup pulled himself away from her, standing straight and keeping the blade to her throat. "She does not represent Freyja any more than what I represent Loki." Hiccup let his lips curl into a sneer. "Trust me when I say that if you dare speak like this about her again, I will be forced to do with you what I did with father and Stoick. Am I understood, grandmother?" When a mute nod was his answer, he pulled his axe away, releasing her from the wall pin. "I will not allow my actions to be undermined. I trust you know this."

"Of course, of course." Excellinor gave a small smile, though it was far from one of her usual ones. Hiccup eyed her before he turned away from her again, Toothless growling under his breath at her as he followed after his rider. Reaching up, she rubbed a hand over the part of her throat where the head of the axe had been pressing before she followed. Living in Berk had given her adopted grandson too much free will, too much knowledge on how to question things. She had seen it when the fight had broken out between Alvin and Hiccup - the boy had never questioned his father's decision to kill something he'd become attached to before, had never questioned what he was being trained to do before.

Her control was slipping.

Something would need to be done before she lost it entirely.

* * *

Astrid was running.

Stumbling through the dark, she felt claws tear at her, scratching deep marks into her sides and tearing clothing when they caught. Fire rushed past her and she ducked, covering her head with her hands as she ran. She panted needily for breath, narrowly avoiding being caught up in the green fire of a Hideous Zippleback, the impact instead sending her flying forward and into the ground several feet away.

Pushing herself up, she made to continue on before Nadder feet swooped down from the sky, landing in front of her. Astrid scrambled back and made to go another way before she ran smack bang into a Nightmare. The impact sent the viking girl sprawling onto her backside, scrambling back as the large red dragon seemed to chuckle at her distress.

No, wait. He was chuckling.

"**Look at our little princess**," the Nightmare purred out as a Gronckle and Zippleback joined the forming of the circle around her, the former nudging her with a small growl in its throat that sounded entirely too female for her taste. "**I'm going to enjoy making her suffer as we have suffered**."

"**Hold, Hookfang**." The namedrop made Astrid turn her head towards the Nadder before looking back at the Nightmare, realization dawning on her face as it came to her that these were their dragons. Hers and her friends's. Hookfang snapped his head back from where he was leaning it forward, upper lip curling into a snarl as Stormfly fluttered her wings, tilting her head back in a comically haughty look. For a moment Astrid, thought she was going to convince them to let her go, but it didn't appear to be so as Stormfly gave her a cold look compared to the warmth usually shown in her eyes. "**We should give our Queen a chance to speak. After all, it was her actions that led us to our own**."

"What do you mean?" she asked, feeling Meatlug push her to her feet as Barf and Belch wrapped their heads around her like a snake, the Zippleback sniggering. "Stormfly, what's going on?"

"**She doesn't know, doesn't know**," Barf sing-songed, Blech joining his twin head in the tune that seemed to hiss out nonsensical words, constricting themselves tighter and tighter before an order from Stormfly had them leave her alone, Astrid gulping down air.

It was the rattle of chains that got her attention and the dragon conqueror looked down to see thick heavyset chains wrapped around one of their legs, the same for each of the dragons. Her eyes widened in horror, glancing down at the shackles and back up to the dragons. After a minute, Astrid managed to get her voice to work, brow furrowing in worry. "Wh-what happened?" Scrambling forward, she reached Stormfly, reaching to try to undo the clamp around her ankle as her Nadder craned her head down to watch, twisting it in a way that allowed her to watch.

"**It is nobody's fault but my own**," she crooned, her voice sounding disgusted with herself even as she pulled back the leg that Astrid kept attempting to unlock. "**I should have recognized the signs. Humans are, in the end, selfish creatures who would use us for warfare. The betrayal of the one I trusted most has proved this to me**."

Astrid stiffened, looking over her shoulder at Stormfly as she looked her in the eyes. "I...I did this?"

"**And you turned Meatlug into a mute**." Hookfang inclined his head over to the female Gronckle, who promptly opened her mouth to show how tongueless she actually was. Astrid cringed, wrapping her arms around herself as she stood, turning around to look at them. "**A mistake, really. You should have done that to Barf and Belch instead. They're far more irritating**."

"**Hey**!"

"But...but why?" Astrid drew her hands up to her head, running her fingers through her hair before they dropped to her shoulders again. They hit something, which caused her to look down at her shoulders, twirling around in an attempt to look at herself when she saw spiked shoulder guards similar to what Outcasts wore. She swallowed deeply, reaching up to her head again and pulling a circlet off, lifting it down to look at it, at the thin ivory circlet embedded with a deep red stone. The resounding clatter as it hit the floor seemed to echo around them as she placed her hands to her head, eyes wide. "No..."

The floor turned to glass and the dragons disappeared, leaving Astrid to look down at herself in the glass, dragging her hands down her face as she cupped them over her mouth, falling to her knees as the glass slipped out from underneath her, forming a mirror in front of her as her reflection stood tall. She looked older, her hair longer and waist length, braids around her head from either side and clasped together, trailing down her back. She looked like a warrior queen in every sense of the word, a sword at her hip and an axe on her back. Unexpressive, cold eyes stared down at her from a face littered with scars. Behind her mirror self was a trail of bodies, dragon bodies, their blood forming a river, some older than the next. Astrid felt tears prick her eyes as she stood on wobbly knees, reaching her hand out before she flinched at the look on the mirror's face.

"What have I done?" she whispered, a small shiver running down her spine as she looked over the dragon corpses, her gaze glancing back to the other Astrid.

"What was expected of Us," was her answer as her copy cupped her hand over the hilt of her sword, tilting her head to the side. "Nothing more and nothing less. All who Our King met resistance with have fallen in His name."

"Our Ki...Hiccup?"

"The dragons turned on Us," Mirror Astrid said softly, stepping forward out of the glass and looking down at her counterpart. "They formed a resistance movement against the King. Even Stormfly and the others joined." At the look on the younger girl's face, her lips quirked a little sadly. "War will always be in Our future, Astrid. It's inevitable."

"No!" She shook her head, looking away before glancing back up at her older self. "That...that can't be true. I...Stormfly and I ended the war when we took care of the Red Death!"

"We may have ended that particular war, but there will always be others." A hand reached out, cupping her face fondly as a mother would her child, though there was no such warmth behind it. "Such is the fate of the one chosen by Freyja. For Our future only contains war and death as chosen by Our husband." Astrid swallowed deeply, bringing her arms up to wrap around herself as she pulled away, curling in on herself out of defense. It couldn't be true. "He said so Himself, did He not? You can't simply forget a way of living, and We are no different."

"No, there must...be some way to change this." Astrid stomped her foot to the ground, causing the glass underneath them to crack. "No future is set in stone! It can't be!"

"Challenge the fates and We shall see..." The glass continued to crack away from under Astrid's foot, spreading around them before it shattered, causing the viking girl to let out a scream as she plummeted into inky black nothingness. "Find the one who pulls the strings, find the knife to cut them free."

Astrid woke up gasping for air, sweat rolling down her face as she stared out unseeing into the dark of their room. Underneath her, Stormfly stirred, a worried trill coming from the dragon as she nuzzled her rider, only causing her to jump slightly before she realized who it was. She placed her hand on the Nadder's neck, wrapping both her arms around her as she collapsed against her chest, burying her face into her scales. Neither Fishlegs or Snotlout had woken, thankfully, and she felt Stormfly press her chin against her shoulder, causing her to shiver and pull back.

"It's okay, girl. It was just a bad dream." It was mostly said to calm herself down than to reassure Stormfly, but the Nadder gave a squawk of concern, causing Astrid to smile slightly. "I'm so glad you can't talk." A quizzical look was the only thing she got before she found herself being pulled into Stormfly's embrace, and she let it happen, curling up in the crook of her legs with her dragon's head resting against her back. Her brow furrowed as she thought back to the dream, wondering what it could have meant as she stared off into the darkness.

"It was just a dream."

* * *

Astrid hadn't fallen back to sleep.

She lay awake at Stormfly's side for hours, unable to get the dream out of her mind. Was it a dream? Or was it a vision of the future? She couldn't tell. She wasn't a soothsayer like Gothi, and if she was then this was a really bad time to discover that she was. Fishlegs's and Snotlout's snoring filled the room, followed by the soft rumbles of Hookfang and Meatlug, thankfully not mumbling under their breaths. Near three in the morning, Astrid stood from where she lay against her Nadder and gave Stormfly a fond pat to reassure her, before she slipped out the door of their room.

The guard to their room was sleeping, she noted with a wry smile and a roll of her eyes as she shut the door behind her, draping her winter shawl around her. Outcast Island was colder than Berk, if it could be believed, but with the way the village had burrowed itself under the rocky exterior of the island towards the dormant volcanic center, it kept them mostly warm. She froze a little when a couple of Outcast warriors came near her, but all they did was offer her smiles - although they were slightly menacing ones, she could tell they were trying to be polite. It was really weird. Nonetheless, she offered a slightly awkward smile back before continuing on her way.

She didn't know where she was going. They hadn't exactly been given a tour of the base, but she guessed that was in case they decided not to go through with the alliance. The Outcast village was like a maze, tunnel after tunnel leading into each other and dead ends. It didn't really matter to her where she was going, just that she kept her mind off of the strange dream.

"Lost, are you?" The hissed voice made Astrid jump, hand automatically going for her axe at her hip before she turned around, looking at the same hunchbacked, cloaked figure that had been at Hiccup's side before the start of the meeting. The light of the torch sitting on the nearby wall lit only part of the person's face, one brilliant green eye staring out at her, gleaming in the firelight.

"Just...taking a walk to clear my mind," she said, taking a step back just a little, hand coming up to the clasp of her shawl as she did so. "That's all. I didn't mean to disturb you."

The person chuckled, a sound that let Astrid realize that it was, in fact, a woman standing in front of her. Her brow furrowed a bit at that - Hiccup had told her that there were no women in the Outcast tribe. Why was there one in front of her? "Oh no, dear child, you didn't disturb me, don't worry your little head about that." She smiled in a way that sent a chill down Astrid's spine. "I'm afraid I just can't sleep, much like you perhaps."

Astrid paused, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, before she spoke. "Are you...Hiccup's grandmother?"

The way her smile changed confirmed Astrid's guess. "Quite a good guess, my dear. Yes, I am his grandmother Excellinor. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier when you were in the great hall. The boy was most impatient. And you must be Astrid, am I right?" When she nodded, Excellinor tapped the pads of her iron-tipped fningers together. "As I thought. He certainly didn't lie about what you looked like when he was waxing poetic about you."

The dragon conqueror felt herself flush, hoping that the torch flame was dim enough to hide it. "He...he talked about me?"

"I hardly see how it should be of a surprise to you, dear, especially when he just would not shut up." Excellinor made to shamble past her, gesturing for her to follow. Astrid turned around before she picked the torch from its hold on the wall, taking to walking just slightly behind her. "I don't suppose he offered you the same courtesy about dear old grandma?"

"Uh, no, actually." She held the torch high, keeping her free hand to the axe at her waist as she followed after her. "He said that the Outcasts didn't have any women among them, just in the slaves that they took from ships and other tribes."

"Ah, well. I suppose he would have been a bit embarrassed to talk about me," Excellinor offered, turning down a tunnel and listening for the footsteps of the young girl following her like a duckling. "I am known as a bit of a kook among the Outcasts. Soothsaying isn't exactly an...ah...appreciated art as far as cannibals are concerned."

"You're a soothsayer?" Astrid perked a little, relaxing her hand on the hilt of her axe a bit. An elderly soothsayer wasn't going to be much of a threat.

"I prefer the term witch." Excellinor looked over her shoulder, her smile displaying missing teeth. "Picked it up from my years in the central Highlands. Folk there are incredibly superstitious." Not that vikings were much better, but at least they didn't have the tendency to shriek witch whenever she walked past. She eyed Astrid curiously. "Why do you ask, child?"

Astrid toyed with the clasp of her shawl, biting her bottom lip before she tilted her head down, looking away from Excellinor. "I...I had a dream, earlier, and I couldn't go back to sleep because it seemed so real."

Excellinor's lips quirked as she arched an eyebrow, gesturing for Astrid to follow her as she turned down a corridor. "I have some tea that might help, dear. Come along and tell me everything."

Astrid kept note of where she was being led from as Excellinor headed down the hallway, taking notice of any landmarks that she could find. Unfortunately, like most of the underground passageways, many of the rocks that shaped the inner walls of the Outcast village looked the same. She ducked when the corridor seemed to lower in the ceiling, keeping her head lowered before they entered a round room. A small stone hearth sat in the middle, but it was different from what one might expect of a traditional hearth - this one wasn't lit, but rather filled with lava that bubbled on the surface. Not hot enough to boil, but enough to keep the room warm. As though sensing her thoughts, Excellinor chuckled.

"Lava tends to keep these old bones warmer than fire does," she explained, turning her head to look over her shoulder at the young woman as she undid the clasp to her winter shawl, taking it off her shoulders. Taking some water from where it was kept warm over another nearby lava pool, she placed a few herbs into two mugs and filled them with hot water, shambling back over to Astrid and handing her one after placing the cauldron back over the pool, handing one to her. "Take a seat, child, and tell dear old Excellinor about this dream you had."

"Thank you." Astrid took hold of the mug and looked around, watching the witch take a seat on a nearby rock and following her example. She tucked her legs underneath her, taking a sip of her tea and inhaling the scent, giving a small sigh as her shoulders relaxed. After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she started speaking. "I was running from something, I couldn't tell what. It was so dark I couldn't see a thing. And then I was surrounded by mine and my friends's dragons, only they were shackled. They could talk too! They told me I was going to make a wrong choice. But then they disappeared and I saw myself, only older, wiser, a warrior queen, a shield-maiden in every sense of the word." She took another sip of her tea and looked up at Excellinor, noticing the old woman watching her with curious green eyes much like Hiccup's, the light of the lava pool shining on her face. "She told me that I was the chosen of Freyja, that war would always be in my future."

Excellinor listened intently, pretending to drink her own tea as she let the information roll over in her mind. "I see. I see." With a hum, the witch stood from her seat, scurrying over to the lava pool in the middle of the room, near where a brown pouch sat on the outer rim of her hearth. Taking a pinch of a few herbs, she scattered them into the lava, stroking her chin and nodding before she shambled back towards Astrid. The dragon conqueror leaned back a bit as the old woman took hold of her face with both her hands, tilting her head up and using the pads of her thumbs to draw the bottom of her eyes down. Taking a step back, Excellinor nodded, circling the young girl with her arms tucked behind her back. "I thought I sensed something about you, child. Yes. Yes, you are Freyja's chosen."

Astrid turned herself around in her seat, watching the way Excellinor circled her like a dragon stalking prey, hand tightening around the mug of tea in her grasp. "What do you mean? I...I can't possibly be Freyja's chosen..."

"Here." The tip of Excellinor's finger pressed to Astrid's right shoulder, her thumb peeling back the top of the girl's shirt as she felt her stiffen underneath. There was a mark there, a circlet with three crescent moons intertwined with each other. "Ahhhh I knew there was something special about you when I laid eyes on you, girl. Freyja's chosen, as I live and breathe."

She shuffled forward in her seat a bit, reaching up to pull her shirt away from the witch's grasp before she tilted her head to look at the mark on her shoulder before she glanced back towards Excellinor. "It's just a birthmark."

"It's the mark of Freyja, just as my grandson has the mark of Loki on his abdomen." Astrid was roughly shoved forward before Excellinor completed the circle around her, some of her tea spilling over the side of her mug in the process. She looked up, surprise written over her face as the older woman smiled down at her with a smile that bared her teeth, including the gaps where some had fallen out. "It was fate that the two of you met."

Astrid felt as though her head was swimming. She was dizzy all of a sudden, the warmth from the lava making her feel faint. Her eyes fluttered, mug of tea clattering to the floor as she caught sight of Excellinor pulling something from within her robes - a dagger. A familiar looking one too. One gnarled hand reached into her hair, roughly pulling her head to the side. "I know how to fix this," Excellinor purred into her ear, the knife coming up into a driving position. "Trust me, dear, I'm a witch."

Astrid blacked out, but not before the sound of her name being called reached her ears.


	28. Chapter 24

"Eg man jötna þá er forðum mig. Níu man eg heima, mjötvið mæran."

Consciousness was slowly returning to her and in turn returning her to the waking world. Somewhere, Astrid heard singing, low in tone with a slight hum behind it as fingers stroked through her hair. She felt warm, safe, and somehow she knew that whoever she was with wasn't going to harm her in any way. Sighing softly, she tucked her head closer towards the warmth before she realized what she was doing. A chuckle sounded from above her, Hiccup's voice reaching her ears.

"Awake, princess?"

Turning around so she was on her back, Astrid looked up at him, blinking sleep out of her eyes as she tried to make sense of everything. Hiccup's one eye looked down at her from where he was overhead, leaning back on one of his hands as his other stilled in her hair, dropping from her head. Darting her eyes to the right she saw a fire crackling in one corner of the room, her hand rolling off her stomach and dropping to the floor to find furs underneath them.

"Mmm...where...?"

"My quarters. I didn't want to take you back to Fishlegs and Snotlout and disturb them." Somehow she got the feeling that there was more behind it than that as he held a dish to her face. "Drink up."

Astrid wrinkled her nose and mouth. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm not a little suspicious."

He chuckled. "It's just water." Leaning up a little and lifting her head from the furs gracing his lap, Hiccup gently tipped the dish against her lips, watching her drink greedily before she pushed it away. "It takes a little while for grandmother's teas to be flushed from the body. I'm surprised you woke as early as you did."

"I only had a couple of sips." She ran the back of her hand along her mouth as she finished drinking, before she pulled away from his hand and nestled back down onto his lap, watching him reach behind him to put the dish down as her brow furrowed. "You knew what she was going to do, didn't you?"

"I had a hunch." He pursed his lips together and looked away.

'_Cut the strings_.' Astrid bit her lip as the warning from her dream self came back to her, staring up at him with a bit of worry on her face. Could she have been talking about Excellinor? She shifted so that she was less draped across his lap and more leaning against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "What happened after I blacked out?"

"You're lucky I was seeking her council when I came into the room, otherwise I'm not quite sure what she was thinking." Hiccup shook his head, lifting his arm to wrap it around her waist for support. "I've had her placed in one of our solitary confinement cells for now, until I decide what to do with her." His lips quirked a little teasingly as he tilted his head closer to hers. "I specifically told her she wasn't to lay a finger on you."

"Maybe that's why she did it." She watched him lift one of her hands up into his, cradling it in hands almost as calloused as hers from handling weapons. He looked at her with a questioning eyebrow. "Maybe she was trying to see if you'd gone soft."

He snorted, warm breath wafting over her face as he chuckled. "You think I've gone soft, princess?"

Astrid hummed a little, turning her hand around in his and watching the way their fingers slipped together, his hand only a bit larger than hers. "What would happen to me if I said you weren't as terrifying now compared to when we first met?"

Hiccup gave her a look of surprise, his eye shifting before he pursed his lips together. It had been almost a year since they met, that night on the rocks in the light of the moon, when she had pursuaded him to take her to Dragon Island. It was hard to imagine that the memories and feelings had happened to him, when looking back they seemed to have happened to an entirely different person. He hadn't changed that much, but perhaps the changes themselves weren't noticeable to him himself.

Bringing her hand up to his lips, he brushed them along the back, looking up at her from behind his hair, watching the slight tinge on her cheeks brighten before he raised his head, tilting it and placing a chaste kiss to her lips, pulling away only a short time after. Before he could open his mouth to say something, the door to his chambers opened, making him look over his shoulder at the mook who had barged in with a glare as he snarled. "How many times have I told you to _knock_?"

The warrior looked a bit flustered when he noticed the position they were in, coughing discreetly before he remembered what he had interrupted them for. "Lady Excellinor has disappeared, sir!"

The way he stiffened was unmistakable, and he gently slipped out from under Astrid, placing her down on the furs before he stomped over to the warrior, grabbing hold of his beard and yanking him down to his eye level. "Then go. Find her. Can you morons not _think_ for yourselves?"

"W-we searched the entire island, sir. Even her room's been completely upturned! Not a trace of her anywhere! It's like she was never here!"

Hiccup gave a harsh yank of the guard's beard before letting go of it, upper lip curling into a small sneer. "If I know grandmother, she's probably hiding in plain sight. She's just pulled the wool over your eyes." He thrust his arm to the side. "Search again! And for Odin's sake, you had better not interrupt me once more or so help you, I will string you up by your entrails and hang you out for the wild dragons to feast on!"

Without much ceremony, the door slammed shut in the mook's face. Hiccup waited until he heard footsteps running down the hallway outside before he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Grandmother, what are you playing at?" he muttered to himself, turning around to look at Astrid who was staring at him with a bit of a shocked expression on her face. "What?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing, I was just a bit...surprised, is all." She shifted as he came back over, making room for him on the furs, leaning back on her elbows. The slight dizziness had stopped, and he sat down next to her, stretching his legs out. "You're not going to go find her yourself?"

He tilted his head, giving a slight roll of his eyes. "If grandmother doesn't want to be found, she won't be found. If she's still on the island, she'll have to come out sooner or later. Somehow I doubt she'd diappear to the mainland for another five years." Not when things were so close to fruition, he was sure of that. Hiccup shifted so he was closer to her, leaning forward. "Besides, my Queen comes first."

"You do know I can take care of myself, right?" she murmured, even as he placed a hand on her other side, rolling her eyes playfully and leaning back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, shifting her head so that her hair flopped away from her face. A hand came up to her waist, cupping around it as he kissed her again, this one not quite as chaste as the last. When they'd been living together in Berk three months ago, there had been a slight tension, like putting one foot outside of tradition would cause things to crumble. They'd kept a respectable distance, showing just the bare minimum displays of affection. But here, in the privacy of his chambers, on an entirely different island, Berk tradition seemed to be thrown out the metaphorical window.

At least until there was another interruption, this time a knock as though the mook had remembered the threat. Hiccup grumbled against Astrid's mouth while she giggled, pulling away from him and lifting a hand, brushing hair out of his face. "Go take care of things. I promise I'll be fine."

"Fine, fine." Tilting his head to kiss her neck, he stood reluctantly, shifting his chainmail. "I'll have a warrior escort you back to your room once the tea has run its course. I don't want anything else happening to you."

"Hiccup." He turned his head to look down at her, watching the expression on her face shift. She wanted to ask a question, he could tell, and she opened her mouth but a second after she closed it again. "Stay safe," was all she said, her hand falling to her side where it looked like she'd been going to take his.

"I'm not the one grandmother wants dead." That was his only reply as he glanced at the door and the insistent knocking, rolling his eyes with a groan and earning a slight laugh before he turned on his heel and walked away, opening and closing the door to his chambers unceremoniously.

Astrid waited until she couldn't hear any footsteps before she stood from the furs, holding her arms out as she felt a little wobbly before her vision rightened itself. The room was dark save for the light of the fireplace and a lone candle sitting to the other side, but as her eyes adjusted she could make out shapes on the walls. She cringed as she recognized the head of a Changewing, followed by a Nightmare, a Gronkle, two Zippleback heads, a Nadder and, the tiniest of all, a Terror, long since decomposed and leaving nothing but a skull. Reaching to pick up the candle, she walked over, brow drawing close as she could make out runes on the wall underneath the Terrible Terror's head, tilting forward to read the faded carving in the stone.

"_I'm going to be the best dragon killer on Outcast Island_." The childish promise in the stone sent a shiver up Astrid's spine, all too easily imagining a younger Hiccup carving the runes, eager and bright. She had a hunch that the Terror had been his first in the, apparently, long line of many. She was sure that the heads on the wall were just a few of the ones he had murdered.

Walking along, each head had a different promise written underneath it, the writing becoming sharper, angrier as the years seemed to pass in front of her. The most recent one it seemed, the Changewing - barely appearing to be dead for a year - had the last. "_I'm ready to face him. I'll make him regret what he did to me_. He must be talking about Stoick here," she murmured under her breath, stepping back to look up at the Changewing. Changes according to its surroundings, acid venom...was this where his plan to infiltrate Berk began? She lifted her free hand, brushing her fingers along the runes, feeling a small twinge of sadness churning in her stomach. He must have been so furious, for the runes were crudely carved, jagged edges nicking her index finger as she trailed it along the carving, causing her to pull her hand back and slip it into her mouth, sucking on the injury.

Hiccup's life was virtually laid out in front of her eyes, the dragons on his wall representing stages of his maturity into a dragon killer, a man hell bent on vengeance. She paused as she remembered the words she'd said to him that night three months ago, pursing her lips together around her finger before she let her hand fall to her side. "How do I set you free?"


	29. Chapter 25

By the time the meeting to sign the alliance had rolled around that afternoon, they still weren't any closer to finding Excellinor. Hiccup stepped into the great hall with a small frown on his face, not really paying attention as he walked over to his seat. Glancing around the room, he noticed that Astrid was standing over with Snotlout and Fishlegs, both who seemed to be interrogating her in hushed whispers. Lady Tantrum looked their way out the corner of her eye, sharing a look across the hearth with Dagur, both of them sending each other questioning looks.

Clearing his throat, Hiccup gained their attention, placing a hand on his hip with a short smile. "I trust you all slept well." Without waiting for an answer, he continued, noting the way Snotlout and Fishlegs kept side eyeing Astrid. "Today marks a fine day in history. I trust you all came to a decision about the alliance?"

Handing them the floor this early in the morning seemed to put the three other chiefs on edge, but it was Snotlout who spoke up first. "The Hooligans will sign."

"As will the Uglithugs." Tantrum looked over at him and gave a smile. "I look forward to seeing what new changes your kingdom will bring to the Archipelagos, my King."

Excellent. That was two. He returned her smile before looking at Dagur with a raised eyebrow. It would be interesting to see whether he agreed or not, given his reputation. If the expression on his face was anything to go by... Hiccup rested a hand behind his back, fingers looping around the lower hilt of his axe as a precaution.

With all eyes on him, Dagur shrugged languidly, idly picking filth out from under his fingernails. "Things could get interesting, so I guess the Berserkers are in." His lips split into a vicious grin. "I want a front row seat when we go to war with the other tribes."

Hiccup's shoulders relaxed marginally, lowering his hand from behind his back as he mirrored Dagur's grin. "I assure you that you will, should they refuse the offering that the three of you have so graciously decided to agree to." With a gesture of his hand, Savage pulled out a scroll and a quill and ink bottle, starting to carry it around to the three chiefs. Tantrum eyed the scroll as it was laid out in front of her, reaching to pluck the quill from the ink well. "And with trained dragons that the dragon conqueror herself has agreed to tame for us, they will wish they had."

The scroll went around the hearth, being signed by both Tantrum and Dagur before it reached Snotlout. Taking the quill, the boy chief bit his bottom lip, staring down at the paper. Was this really the best thing for Berk? He glanced out the corner of his eye, noticing Fishlegs giving him a look that told him to sign it, even through the worry behind the larger boys eyes. The tip of the quill had just hit the paper

when the doors to the great hall opened.

"I swear it's impossible to find good help these days." The new voice caused all heads to turn in the direction as a girl walked in, the doors closing shut behind her but not before giving everyone a glimpse of the mooks trying to stop her from getting in. "Really, father, it's about time you traded some of these people in, don't you think?" She opened her eyes when no gruff reply came, staring at the gathered chiefs and their accomplices who stared back at her as Hiccup cringed a little and ran his hand down his face, causing her to raise an eyebrow at his position around the hearth. "Er, Hiccup? Who are these people? Where's father?"

"For the love of Odin, does no one knock around here?" he growled under his breath before he gave her a charming smile, gesturing around the room. "Everyone, allow me to introduce my _darling_ sister, Heather the Malignant, returned to us after two years abroad on the mainland."

Astrid raised an eyebrow as the girl - Heather apparently - gave him a _look_ that screamed 'we'll talk later' before she inclined her head, smiling around the table. "A pleasure, I'm sure. I'm sorry for not being here for the start of this...whatever it is."

"The start of an alliance, sister dear," Hiccup informed her, gesturing her over to him. With a tug of her braid over her shoulder, Heather walked over to him from around the hearth, eyeing all three parties as she went, her hand resting on a sword at her hip. His lips quirked into a smirk as she came to stand next to him, placing his own hand on his hip. "The beginning of my kingdom, as Grandmother predicted."

Understanding seemed to dawn on Heather's face as she glanced at him out the corner of her eye, her face going grim for a moment before she smiled sweetly. cupping her hands around his with a hard yank to draw him closer. "I'm so proud of you, dear brother." Astrid saw her lips move, narrowing her eyes as Heather whispered into his ear before she pulled away, yawning a little as she covered her mouth. "My apologies, everyone, I'm afraid my journey from the mainland has been quite tiring. If you don't mind I'll be retiring to my quarters?" She looked at Hiccup with a raised eyebrow before he nodded his consent. With a low sweeping bow, Heather exited the room, whistling a nonsensical tune.

The Outcast chief cleared his throat, brushing some hair away from his face in an attempt to look unruffled by the encounter. "Now where were we...ah, I believe Berk has yet to sign, am I correct, Snotlout?"

Snotlout snapped his head up from where he'd been staring after Heather, blinking a couple of times before snapping out of his reverie. "Oh? Oh right, right. The alliance." Fishlegs rubbed his temples with a small sigh as the slighter teen lowered the quill to the paper, signing his name and watching as the quill and scroll was taken from him by Savage and returned over to Hiccup at the top end of the hearth.

Eyeing Snotlout, he opened the scroll with a flourish, the corners of his mouth quirking into a wicked grin before he snapped it shut. "Signed and sealed, my dear friends! I shall request that you all retire to your rooms before we kick off the celebrations tonight to mark the beginning of a new era."

With minimum protest, Dagur and Tantrum allowed themselves to be led out of the room, followed closely by Snotlout and Fishlegs. Astrid, however, broke away from the two warriors who had attempted to show her there, making her way over to Hiccup as he rolled the scroll up and handed it to Savage, instructing him to keep it safe. With a bow, the lieutenant left the room, leaving them alone as Astrid crossed her arms over her chest.

"So...sister, huh? First your grandmother and now your sister? Sure doesn't seem like the Outcast tribe has any women."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable as she spoke. "Look, I just...didn't want to tell you about her, that's all. Heather's never really been a big part of my life since she's been off and on raiding villages and men of everything valuable that they have ever since I was ten."

"So she's a thief then."

"Marauder, seductress, whatever you want to call her." He shrugged and sat down heavily on the bricks surrounding the hearth, leaning back on his hands and crossing his legs at the ankles. "Father...Alvin came across her out at sea when she was three and I was one. Her parents had been attacked by pirates and she was drifting on a piece of the ship. Grandmother taught her alchemy, what teas could do what. She's used those to get everywhere." He reached to pry one of her arms from her chest, taking hold of her hand. "She's dangerous, Astrid. Keep away from her."

Out the corner of his eye he saw someone in the shadows beyond the doorway, watching green eyes look at him before they disappeared into the dark of the Outcast stronghold. Astrid didn't notice, however, her face softening before she pursed her lips together, reaching up to brush her hair away from the side of her face. "I will."

Reaching to cup her hand, he stood and leaned forward, placing a kiss to her forehead. "Go and have the guards lead you back to your room. You'll be safe there with Fishlegs and Snotlout and your dragons." With a short nod, she hesitated before she walked away over to the warriors waiting at the doorway to the great hall, and Hiccup shot the other warriors looks to get out of the room. Within a few seconds, the hall was clear of everyone except for him, and once he was sure he was alone, he turned in the direction of the other doorway, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you were tired, dearest sister."

Like a snake, Heather swept from the shadows, looking at her nails as though she was bored before she glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "Dangerous, Hiccup? I really would've thought my reputation would have perceived me as a bit more than that." She glanced over her shoulder towards the door where Astrid had been taken. "So who's the brood?"

"The dragon conqueror. I'm sure rumors of her fame have reached even your despicable ears, Heather." He stood away from the hearth, crossing his arm over his chest and almost bristling as she came closer towards him. The look on her face suggested that Heather had, indeed, heard of Astrid, and she placed her hands on her hips.

"The dragon conqueror? Looks more like a little princess than a mighty killer of a thousand beasts," she drawled, mimicing his pose and cocking her sword hip. "And the others? Where's father?"

"The chiefs and chieftess of the Hooligan, Berserker and Uglithug tribes, and father is dead." Hiccup grinned viciously at the look on her face. "By my hand." The look she gave him was positively murderous as he continued, waving a hand elaborately. "Since you were absent, I claimed my right by blood, challenge and process of elimination to become chief of the Outcasts."

Heather saw red and for a moment it looked like she was going to draw her sword on him before she straightened her shoulders, lips pursing into a thin line. How dare he? How _dare_ he be so arrogant as to one up her and assume the title of chief that should've rightfully gone to her as the oldest. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword before she let out a breath of air that blew hair away from her face, shifting her head to flip her braid over her shoulder. "Well since the island hasn't been sunk yet, I assume that means that Hiccup the Useless hasn't failed in one aspect of his life."

His eye narrowed, a sneer curling on his upper lip as he slammed his fist against the stone around the hearth. "Don't _call_ me that! My name is Hiccup the Treacherous!"

Heather gaped at him, her eyes wide before she cursed him. "You even assumed his _title_? I always knew you were egotistical, little brother, but I never expected _this_ of you!"

"For your information, while you were gone I infiltrated Berk, gained their trust, ripped the wool over their eyes time and time again and they still trust me enough to sign an alliance agreement even after I killed Stoick the Vast and his brother in front of their little heir's eyes!" He smirked at her, though it was wavering a little. "I think I deserve to take the name of the Treacherous for my own and claim my birthright as heir of the Outcasts." When she went to open her mouth and reply, he grabbed hold of the neck of her shirt, yanking her forward so they were inches away from each other's faces. "He chose me even before you came along. Father never wanted _you_ to be chieftess. Age is of no consequence. You _will_ fall in line or so help me I will show you what I did to father. The hard way."

She glared at him, lips curling into a snarl before she reached up to yank his hand away from the collar of her shirt, fingers gripping around his wrist and nails biting into skin. "Outcast Island can't have a soft-hearted fool like you for a leader."

"If you're talking about my little display of affection for the dragon conqueror, I have a plan. A plan that's already been set in motion and it will do you the world of good _not_ to interrupt it." Hiccup ripped his hand out of her grip, stepping back away from her as he felt his wrist bleed from how hard her nails had dug in.

Raising an eyebrow, it took her a moment to realize what he was doing before a sly smile tweaked at her lips and she raised her hands submissively and turned away from him. "Fine, fine. However, if you do want tips on how to seduce someone, brother dearest, I think I'll be sticking around to see the outcome of this little enterprise of yours."

Watching Heather walk away from him and hearing one of the many doors to the hall close, Hiccup brought his hand up to wrap around the wrist she'd scratched, eye narrowing and brow drawing together in a frown.

Well that threw a monkey wrench into the works.

* * *

**Author's notes:** dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN


	30. Chapter 26

The cavern was dark and dank, the sound of water dripping coming from an unknown source, accompanied by the sound of heavily booted feet. Heather held her lantern up as she navigated the tunnel, turning down bends like she was walking down memory lane. She'd been down in this place many times in the past, but this was the first time on her own. After receiving news that her Grandmother had vanished, she knew that there was only one place she could be.

Reaching a door, she opened the latch on her lantern and blew out the candle inside it, knocking in a particular way on the wood. There was silence for a minute before the door opened, her lips quirking into a wicked smile as she saw green eyes gleaming brightly in the darkness. "Hello, Grandmother."

Excellinor opened the door wider, reaching out with iron tipped fingers to cup Heather's hands in hers. "Ah, Heather. Welcome home, my dear. Come in, come in!" She shuffled to let the young girl pass, letting go of her hands and looking around to make sure nobody had followed her before shutting the door after her granddaughter and following her deeper into the cave. "I apologize for not being there when you came back, dearie..."

"Let's cut the act, okay, Grandmother?" Heather turned around and placed a hand on her hip, the other coming up to brush along her braid as if it were a pet. "You know you don't have to keep up the kindly old woman act around me."

Almost in an instant, Excellinor's entire demeanor changed, her expression twisting as writhered old lips quirked into a smirk. "Straight to the facts as always, Heather. I see two years on the mainland hasn't changed you at all." She clasped her hands behind her back, walking closer to the hearth in the center of the room, using a walking stick to poke and prod at the coals. "I can only presume you've seen the changes your brother has brought to the Outcast tribe."

Heather's lips curled into a sneer, her nose scrunching up at the mention of Hiccup. "Is it true that he killed father?"

"As his destiny foretold." Excellinor spooned two helpings of hot water out of a soup pot, watching the tea leaves float in the water before she passed it to her granddaughter. Heather took it, cupping both her hands around it as she watched her serve up her own cup before beckoning her to a couple of rocks situated around the hearth. "There is no reason for you to be upset, my dear. It was simply Alvin's time."

"He could at the very least have waited for my return." She scowled at her tea before taking a sip, closing her eyes and letting a small sigh leave her. "I wanted to see father again."

"So tell me, my dear, how was your sabbatical with the coven?"

Heather's green eyes brightened, her lips paused over her cup before she pulled it away, using one of her hands to emphasize her enthusiasm. "It was wonderful, Grandmother! I learned so much from my fellow brethren I felt like my head would explode from the knowledge they bestowed upon me! The magic I've learned, the witches I met." She cupped her hand back around her teacup, taking another sip. "I'm sure everything I've learned will be useful to you."

Excellinor gave a smile that split her lips, yellowed teeth and gaps in her gums showing. "Excellent, excellent. That's wonderful to hear." She closed her eyes, taking a sip from her own cup as she let her shoulders relax, old bones creaking before she sighed. "I'm afraid I must stay down here for the time being. It was bad timing on my part, I'm afraid I got a little over eager to rid ourselves of Freyja's chosen."

Heather's brow furrowed, her lips pursing around the rim of her teacup before she spoke. "Freyja's...surely you can't mean that girl?"

"She bears her mark just as your brother bears the mark of Loki. Just as you bear the mark of Hel, my dear girl." Excellinor's upper lip curled into a snarl, gnarled fingers clenching around her teacup. "It's because of her that my hold on him has weakened. Day by day I can feel my link over his mind shatter a bit more as he becomes more self aware. We must do something before she breaks it completely."

"Why do we need him to fulfill the prophecy anyway?" Heather's lips pressed into a thin line of disgust. "I'm just as capable, and Hel was one of Loki's children! I could do it if we just..."

"No." The elderly witch shook her head sternly, scowling at her granddaughter which caused her to close her mouth. "It must be done by Loki's champion and Loki's champion alone. There is no loopholes that we can jump through. You know the last line. The Queen of War will seduce the King of Evil. This is merely destiny taking place."

"Destiny sucks." Heather pouted behind her teacup and swallowed the last of her tea, holding the cup upright as the tea leaves settled. She peered into it, humming as she sat back against her rock. "A rat, a snake, a scythe..." Her brow furrowed as she looked up at the older woman, eyes narrowing slightly. "And an upside down triangle."

"As I said, my dear. Destiny."


	31. Chapter 27

The visiting chiefs and their parties left Outcast Island the next morning, their future in the possible war clear as day. Even with Hiccup's offer of staying, Astrid told him that perhaps she should stay in Berk a little while longer, even though on the inside she was worrying about her dream still. With the appearance of his sister, she was a bit reluctant to leave, especially since Heather seemed to be giving her the evil eye all through the evening celebration.

Once they were back on Berk, Astrid slid off of Stormfly's back, giving her Nadder a rub along the neck in a soothing motion, mostly for her own benefit than anything else. Leaving Stormfly to her own devices and parting from Snotlout and Fishlegs as they were approached by the twins and Gobber for an update, she started making her way away from the plaza of the village. Up and around the pathways she went, climbing stairs until she reached the highest point of the village of Berk.

Gothi opened the door before she could knock on it, causing Astrid to blink in surprise and lower her raised hand. "You were expecting me?" The older woman gave her an unamused look with a raised eyebrow, gesturing her in with a wave of her staff before she shuffled into the cottage herself. "I'll take that as a yes." Astrid gave a shrug before she followed her in, remembering hearing something that Gothi had either taken a vow of silence or had her tongue ripped out somehow. Either way, the elderly soothsayer turned around when they reached the sitting room of her cottage, waving her staff to the only seat.

After a minute or so of silent arguing back and forth about who should be the one to sit down, Astrid finally relented and plonked herself down into the seat, even though she wasn't too happy about it. Gothi wandered over to the patch of sand in front of her, causing the girl to sit up properly so she could see what she was going to write before she was hit over the head with Gothi's staff. "Ow! Jeez, what was that for?" Rubbing the lump, she couldn't help but wince at how Hiccup-like she sounded, lowering her hand as she watched Gothi write in the sand.

She was requesting her to recount her dream.

Astrid still remembered it vividly, so she had no trouble telling Gothi about it. About the dragons, Stormfly's warning, her futures self informing her of their choices to come. She leaned forward, cupping her hands together before she swallowed, looking up at Gothi's thoughtful face. "Am I really Freyja's chosen?" she whispered, her weariness from the last few days catching up to her.

The nod she gave her sent a shiver up her spine, placing her forehead to her cupped hands. She hadn't wanted it to be true. She was a shieldmaiden, not the chosen of the Goddess of fire and gold and war. Heck, she'd take being the dragon conqueror over being Freyja's chosen. With a small sigh, she lowered her hands, relaxing her shoulders and sat up straight, looking at Gothi who it appeared had the patience of a saint. "What do I do? How do I free him? How do I stop this? I don't know what to do, Gothi."

A wrinkly, gnarled finger was held into the air before Gothi shuffled into the adjascent room, the room where Hiccup had been resting that week after she and Toothless had found him on the beach. There was the sound of rummaging before she came back, holding a glass jar with a liquid of some sort that looked vaguely like meade. Astrid stared at it before she got the eerie feeling of something staring back and she shook her head, raising an eyebrow. "I don't see how drinking is going to help my problem."

Whacked over the head with the soothsayer's staff again for the comment, Gothi placed the jar at Astrid's feet, gesturing at it for her to open. Morbid curiosity filling her, she shifted forward in her seat a little, leaning down to wrench the top of the jar off. The smell of old meade reached her nose and she had to resist the urge to vomit as Gothi reached into the jar, her face a look of concentration before she pulled out what she was searching for.

Opening her palm, Astrid nearly _did_ vomit when she saw the eye in Gothi's hand. She clamped a hand over her mouth before she realized she'd seen the colour of the iris before and she lowered it, understanding dawning on her. "Is that...the eye Hiccup lost?" Gothi shook her head, drawing in the sand with the butt of her staff again. "He didn't loose it? But it was badly damaged, wasn't it?" A gasp left her mouth as she saw runes in the sand being drawn, a name everyone recognized.

Odin.

"He gave up his eye for knowledge like Odin did?" Gothi nodded grimly, drawing what looked like a tea cup similar to the one Excellinor had offered her. Astrid stared at the sand. "Then he already knew...he already knew what to do? How to escape her?" Another nod had her pursing her lips together, feeling a bit cheated. She'd been worrying this whole time and Hiccup was already making the changes necessary. There was a tap to her head and she glanced down to Gothi's new handwriting.

_He asked me for a defense against her teas and manipulation, I asked him what he was willing to give in return. No sooner did I ask had he ripped out his own eye._ Gothi placed the eye gently back in the jar and gestured for Astrid to do the lid up again. Once she was done, there was another new message. _Excellinor and I have a history. We were part of the same coven, I believed even friends at some point. But Excellinor's heart is as black as the blackest night. The only thing she has wanted for years is for a prophecy she envisioned in our youth to come true, and she would do anything to make it come true._

"You mean the prophecy about the next King of the Wilderwest?"

_No._ Gothi shook her head. _She had a vision, one of her holding the dragon's jewel, the gem of ultimate power. The King of the Wilderwest has nothing to do with it, only that the dragon's jewel lays at the end of the last King's burial place, a trial only the next King can go through. I have no doubt that after he gets it for her, she'll get rid of him. He likely never mattered to her if she had no qualms about him killing her own son._

"And because she's a soothsayer, people take her word for truth." She knew that from experience. Astrid's eyes widened as everything suddenly seemed to drop into place, like pieces of a puzzle had finally been connected. "What does the dragon's jewel do?"

_Legend has it that it can control dragons, for it contains their very source. It's likely that Grimbeard went to great lengths to keep it hidden and make sure that nobody went looking for it, that it got lost in the records of history and would be considered a myth._

The shieldmaiden raised a hand to her head, her gaze horrified. "With that many dragons under her control, she could rule the Archipelagos." At Gothi's nod, Astrid rose from her chair, whirling around before her arm was snagged and she was sent sprawling with the force the old woman put into the use of her staff. "I have to stop her, Gothi!"

Gothi gave her a disapproving look. _She hasn't done anything to the boy yet, girl, hold your dragons. With the four tribes in alliance, we may well see something that not even the Norns could have predicted. Stand your ground for now, keep this information to yourself. I will let you know when it's time to move_. Reluctantly, Astrid nodded in understanding, pushing herself up off the ground even as her heels dug into the floor to prevent herself making a dash for the door and down to the village to Stormfly.

All she could do was wait.

She hated waiting.

* * *

"I thought I'd find you here."

Hiccup turned his head to look over his shoulder as Heather sauntered into the ring, stopping a few feet from him and placing her hand on her hip, her other resting on the hilt of her sword. Rolling his eyes, he waved a hand, dismissing the warriors who had come for lessons with their dragons. Many of them were dim but showing some promise. He supposed it wasn't really that different to working with the Thorstons or Jorgenson. As the warriors and their dragons left the arena, he raised an eyebrow at his sister, crossing his arms over his chest as Toothless crept closer to him, his hackles raised in her direction. "Don't you have some poor fool to work over?" he asked with a sneer, keeping her in his right eye's line of sight.

"Please, brother dear, the men here are hardly a challenge." She gave a casual shrug before she turned her head to look after the last warrior as he left, turning her attention back to him. "And what's with the hostility? Really, Hiccup, shouldn't it be about time we buried the hatchet so to speak?"

"Since when do you want to bury hatchets?" His upper lip lifted in almost a mimic of Toothless as he turned away from her, walking over to the Night Fury. Toothless seemed to relax with his rider closer, cocking his head as Hiccup made a show of inspecting his prosthetic before he looked back at Heather, acid green eyes watching her.

"Well, it's not like I've ever tried to kill you on purpose..."

"Not even that time you left me in the wild dragon's nest when we were kids?"

"Okay, maybe that was a bad choice of words." Heather did her best to look as sheepish as possible, walking around Toothless's other side without a worry so that she could squat down in front of him, crossing her arms over her knees. "I want you to teach me how to..."

"No."

She gave him an incredulous look as he blatantly refused her request, watching him rise to his feet and walk so that he was near his dragon's middle, standing with a flourish herself. "What? Why not? Why do _those_ morons get to learn how to ride dragons and I don't?!"

"Because I know you, Heather." Hiccup glanced at her out the corner of his right eye, his gaze narrowing. "I know you know where Grandmother is and I'm not giving you the opportunity to get one up on me. I'm not the boy you left when you went to the mainland two years ago. I know what Grandmother's been doing to me ever since I washed up here."

Heather blew some hair out of her eyes, staring at him before she crossed her arms over her chest. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't. Now if you don't mind, I have some things I need to do."

She watched him leave the arena with his dragon and scowled deeper, nails digging into her arms as a growl left her throat. "Fine. I'll just get one of the stooges to teach me how to ride a dragon." A wicked smile curled across Heather's lips, reminiscent of Excellinor's. "I'm not letting you have the dragon's jewel, or Grandmother."


	32. Chapter 28

The door made no sound as it opened, light from one of the torches on the wall of the hallway shining through momentarily before the room was engulfed in darkness again, lit only by the dying fire in the hearth. Heather's footsteps were quiet as she entered her brother's room for the first time in years, looking out the corner of her eye over to where Toothless was sleeping. The dragon stirred, ears flicking up to listen and she sucked in a breath before she saw his breathing even out as he went back into sleep with a bit of help from a sleeping dust.

"That's right. Just keep sleeping, big boy," she murmured under her breath, reaching for a pouch on her belt as she closed the distance over to where Hiccup was sleeping. Her lips quirked into a smirk as he continued sleeping as well, shaking her head. "Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup...you'll regret the decisions you've been making, little brother." Taking a pinch of powder from the pouch, she began sprinkling it around the bed of furs the Outcast chief slept on, muttering incantations as she went. The powder sparked, becoming an acidic green colour as she went, flames igniting around along the powder. These were different from normal flames, in the way that they weren't made to destroy things, as was evident by the way they hadn't engulfed the fur Hiccup was sleeping on like it was his funeral pyre.

Heather spread her arms when she reached the end where his head was, watching the green fire dance before she closed her eyes, bringing her hands together in front of her stomach as her chanting grew louder. Excellinor had entrusted her to this, there was no way she could mess up with so much at stake. With the last words of the incantation, the fire seemed to explode, the light dissipating from the room and even the dying fire disintegrating. The dark-haired witch raised an eyebrow before she grinned to herself, turning to go before the sound of metal whistling through the air at her caught her attention, making her duck just as Hiccup's axe flew over her head, embedding itself into the rock.

"_What_ are you doing in my chambers?" His voice was a hiss and she heard the rustling of furs as he rose from his bed, stalking over to her and taking hold of her by the neckline of her shirt, slamming her against the wall. Hiccup's eyes glowed a vibrant green in the darkness before the light faded, an after effect of the spell that Heather watched with interest before he shook her demandingly.

"I-I was just checking in to see how you were doing." She gave him a sweet smile even if he could barely see it in the dark of his room, reaching up to gently pry his fingers away from her shirt before he did anything that might choke her, her voice taking on a sickly sweet tone. "I know things have been tense between us since I came home but I only want what's best for you, brother dear, believe me when I say that. I really hate being the bad guy, especially when I've done nothing wrong."

There was a pause as it seemed like he was trying to decide whether or not she was telling the truth before he dislodged his fingers from her clothing, pulling his hand away. He'd been tense ever since the meeting with the other chiefs had finished, afraid that she might do something...no, he hadn't been afraid. Why should he have been? His brow furrowed together as he felt like there was a hole in his memory before he shook his head, raising a hand to massage his temples with a small sigh. "I apologize, Heather. I haven't been sleeping well this past week."

"It's no problem." In the dark, her lips quirked wickedly before she covered it up in case his eyes adjusted enough to see her face. "Let me fix you a warm cup of tea. I have a special sleeping herb that I brought back with me from the mainland. Guaranteed at least twelve hours, twenty four at the maximum."

Hiccup licked his suddenly dry lips, thinking about it for a moment before he nodded. "A cup of tea sounds good right now, sister."

With a nod, Heather shifted and moved over to the fireplace, picking up a cup next to it as she grinned to herself, looking out the corner of her eye at him as he pulled his axe from the wall and wandered back over to the furs. Time would only tell if the powder had worked like it was supposed to, but she was sure the results would be exactly as they planned.

* * *

As the days turned into weeks, and in turn turned into months, Astrid felt herself growing even more on edge than she had been when they'd arrived back in Berk from the alliance signing. There was a tense atmosphere in the Archipelago, as though the tribe were waiting for each other to attack. Their long standing treaty with the Bog Burglars were terminated upon a letter received from the chieftess Big Boobied Bertha, once word of the Hooligan's allegiance to the Outcasts reached her ears and negotiations with the Meathead tribe were currently between a rock and a hard place. Snotlout did his best as chief to keep things as they were, but with Bertha's lack of faith in him, the Meathead tribe looked to be following in her footsteps and severing their ties to the people of Berk.

Astrid nonetheless kept her promise to Hiccup and had started working with Dagur and Tantrum on training them their own dragons. Tantrum took to the lessons with the grace expected of a chieftess, the princess of the Uglithugs bonding easily with a Timberjack, one she named Flashfang. Dagur, however, took a bit more work due to his nature and in the end had claimed a Changewing for his companion, named Firewyrm. She felt a bit uneasy giving him such a dragon, but he'd insisted on having a unique one as dangerous as him, and their personalities seemed to match.

As the fifth month since the signing rolled around, Astrid made her way to Gothi's as she was summoned to, blinking in slight surprise as she saw the elder standing outside her door and waiting for her, staff tucked into the crook of her shoulder. Astrid slowed her ascent up the stairs, coming to rest her foot on the top stair, watching the expression on Gothi's face.

"It's time, isn't it?" The nod was the only thing she needed to know as she pursed her lips together, biting her bottom one as she stepped up to the landing. She hadn't had contact with Hiccup in all this time, just through Snotlout's word in his correspondence with the Outcast chief. Really, she knew he was keeping her at a distance to keep Heather from her, but at the same time, it didn't do anything to quell her worries for _him_. Astrid bowed her head. "Thank you for everything you've taught me, Gothi."

_Best keep your wits about you, child. I have a feeling Exellinor has taken a step neither of us could have predicted._

"I will."

Gothi fished around in a small pouch near her for a moment before she held up a necklace. It was made of bronze, an elaborately carved circlet in the middle surrounded on both sides by three trinkets fashioned to look like leaves, round bronze beads separating them. _Take this. You will need it to call on her._ Astrid reached down to take the necklace from the elder, turning it around on her hand, dangling it by the woven leather keeping it together. With a small sigh and a small doubt that she'd need it, she bundled it up in her hand, placing it into the pouch at her hip before crouching to wrap her arms round Gothi in a hug, startling her for a moment before she returned it. _Safe travels, Astrid_.

"I'll be back." Pulling away, she attempted to give Gothi a smile. "I promise."

_I have no doubt. Err on the side of caution and keep a weary eye on the horizon. Remember everything I've taught you._ With a nod, Astrid turned around and started her descent down the steps leading to the topmost point on Berk, disappearing before she had the chance to turn around and see the grim expression on Gothi's face as she squinted, watching the storm clouds gathering on the horizon.

Astrid would need more than the Goddess Freyja's blessing to keep her safe.


	33. Chapter 29

Astrid woke with a start, her head lifting from cold stone as she sat up in a jolt. Confusion swam in her mind as she rubbed her eyes before reaching to the back of her head, feeling the spot underneath the curve of her skull and pulled her hand back, spotting dry blood flaking on her fingers in the torchlight. Blue eyes flicked around the room she was in before they landed on the haphazardly arranged bars - a cell. Similar to the one she'd been in when she'd come to Outcast Island to free Fishlegs close to a year and a half ago.

A cold chill ran down her spine even before she heard the laughter beyond the shadows outside her cell. Whirling around into a ready stance, she watched Heather approach the bars, flanked on both sides by two warriors, her hands on her hips as she regarded the dragon conqueror. Astrid's blood seemed to freeze in her veins as the sight of the other girl and the reality of her own situation came crashing down onto her, remembering rocks being catapaulted at her and Stormfly as they crossed into Outcast territory. Her eyes narrowed and she stood up, ignoring the rush of vertigo as she stormed over to the bars, grabbing hold of two and gripping them as though she wished they were Heather's neck. "What have you done to him?" It came out in an icy hiss, an almost berserk rage filling the pit of her stomach.

"What? No hello? Why, Astrid, we're practically family." Heather's smile told the truth as she said those words like they were the most hilarious joke in the world. She gave a small shrug, tilting her head. "I've done nothing but restore things to their rightful ways. The Outcast tribe could hardly have such a soft boy like Hiccup as its chief." She drew a hand up and inspected her nails like they had filth underneath them. "And it'd be a disappointment to eat him. All skin and bone and no muscle. A bit unsatisfying really. So I did what was best and, well, messed with his mind." Heather's expression darkened, a truly wicked look spreading across her face as the corner of her mouth lifted into a sneer. "I would have rather killed him and taken his place but Grandmother needs him alive." She pouted. "I never get to have any fun."

Messed with his mind? What did she mean by that? Astrid frowned, running her mind through the powders and teas Gothi had taught her about in the last five months. Shaking her head, she tightened her grip around the bars, knuckles turning white. "I want to see him."

Heather raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise on her face before she let out a snort of a giggle. "You want to see him? You're delusional, honey. You wouldn't want to see him in the state he's in right now. He barely recognized you when the guards brought you through after they shot you and your dragon out of the sky on my orders. If I remember correctly his exact words were 'I don't think I've ever had blonde before'."

Astrid's heart sank to the bottom of her stomach as she realized the implications behind those words, feeling her knees weaken but she used the bars to keep herself up as the warriors behind Heather sniggered quietly to themselves. A hand reached through the bars, cupping her face and making her look at the black haired girl who gave her an attempt at a sympathetic smile. "My dear, men are just pigs. Simply awful creatures," she cooed, her thumb stroking the dragon conqueror's cheek soothingly. "I'm sorry, but you have to realize he never truly loved you as much as you thought he did. He simply used you as father directed and then continued to do so even after he killed him and started using his own will. Hiccup's always been the craftier one between the two of us, the more vile one, even when we were kids. He's truly deserving of names like Horrendous and Treacherous."

For a moment, Astrid felt herself starting to believe Heather's words, nodding absentminedly as she tried not to feel her heart breaking. _Keep away from her. She's dangerous_. Even now, even as she was trying to stop herself from crying, those words rang in her head. Hiccup hadn't said exactly how Heather was dangerous, but now that she was in close proximity to her, feeling her hand on her cheek, she understood. Mustering up all her strength, Astrid pushed herself away from the bars, out of Heather's reach, and the cold feeling disappeared. The heaviness in her chest vanished, and she raised the back of her hand to her mouth, swallowing deeply to suppress the hiccups that had started to form. Her eyes narrowed, watching the look on Heather's face go from one of sympathy to one of annoyance. Bingo. "You're lying."

"Hm. So you're immune to my charm speak." The older girl crossed her arms over her chest, scowling before her lips lifted into a smirk. "No, not immune. Not quite. You believed me there, for the briefest moment. I'll admit I don't have as much charm over women as I do over men." Her eyes glinted and she leaned against the bars with her shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the girl on the other side. "Perhaps it got to you because you'd been thinking the same thoughts?"

"Shut up!" Astrid picked up a rock and hurled it at the bars, hoping it would hit her but Heather leaned away quickly, instead causing the iron to rattle and shake. "I know what you're really after," she hissed out, fists clenching at her sides. "I know about the dragon's jewel."

Heather's expression distorted, a snarl crossing her face as her eyes narrowed dangerously, wildly. "Who told you about the dragon's jewel?"

"Heather? Who are you talking to?" The voice made Astrid's heart skip a beat, almost allowing herself to look hopeful as the guards parted for Hiccup to step through. Heather bit back a curse as her brother came to stand next to her, looking at her with a raised eyebrow before he turned his attention to Astrid. For a second it looked as though he recognized her before his brow furrowed in confusion and he raised a hand, rubbing his forehead. "Oh, right. The prisoner."

"I was just telling her not to try any funny business, brother dear," she said sweetly, moving behind him to curve her fingers around his shoulders, rubbing them gently before she nestled her chin on his shoulder, wrapping her arms snugly around his waist. "Hooligans are a crafty bunch, you know. I thought giving her a warning would be fair enough, especially so close to your coronation as King."

At the word Hooligan, his eyes widened before they narrowed again, nostrils flaring as an utterly mad look crossed his face like it used to whenever someone had so much as mentioned the name Stoick, and for a moment Astrid thought he was going to throw his axe at her like she'd seen him do to his own men in the past. "She's a Hooligan?"

"Yes. The so-called dragon conqueror." Heather's voice had dropped to a low purr, her lips quirking into a smirk as she raised an eyebrow at Astrid. "We all know how you're the _real_ dragon conqueror, brother. Slayer of a thousand dragons. She's a thief, stolen your title and made up lies. She should be punished, don't you think?"

"She's lying!" Astrid's voice rang through the cavern as she approached the bars again, placing her hand on the middle one that ran horizontally. Confusion crossed Hiccup's face, and for a second it looked like Heather's spell was breaking before the dark look returned, the look that didn't belong there. "Hiccup, please, you have to believe me..." Her voice trailed off as Hiccup's eye twitched. Was it her imagination, or did he wink at her like he was playing the world's biggest practical joke? Her brow furrowed into worry before she pressed her forehead against the metal bars, swallowing like she was choking back a sob. "Please. I love you." Heather and the other Outcast warriors seemed to find this statement the most hilarious thing ever, because they burst out laughing.

Several things seemed to happen at once while they were distracted.

Hiccup's hand flew back, connecting heavily to Heather's chin and pushing her off of his shoulders, taking the opportunity of her shock to slam his elbow into the back of her neck, knocking her to the ground, down for the count. The warriors were too shocked by this sudden turn of events that by the time Hiccup had taken their swords from their belts and was holding the blades to their throats, they had no way to move without getting their heads lopped off. His eyes narrowed, a hiss leaving him. "If you buffoons are intelligent enough, you'll take her and lock her into one of the cells down here to be tried for treason. I'm reclaiming my status and right as chief of the Outcasts. Now do as I say and get out of my sight."

"Y-yes, sir."

The guards scrambling to pick the unconscious Heather by her arms, Hiccup stopping them long enough to grab the keys from one of them, he unlocked the door to Astrid's cell, eyebrow raised in a cocky way as he leaned against the wall of the cell. "So...you love me, huh?"

"Oh shut up." She punched him in the arm, feeling her cheeks heat up before she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder and taking him by surprise. "I hadn't heard from you for months and Gothi said it was time..."

"Hey, hey." The hand that came up to stroke the back of her head was surprisingly gentle for someone who used to be such a bloodthirsty cannibal. Maybe he really had changed since that first meeting. "Sorry, but I couldn't afford to let my cover be blown. Grandmother's taken control of the tribe. She has them out there searching for the location of the dragon's jewel. I had to pretend I was her puppet." He spat the word out, growl deep in his throat before he kissed her forehead and took hold of her hand. "Come on. Those two might've been dense but not everyone will want me back in charge. We need to get out of here."

"Lead the way."


	34. Chapter 30

They found their dragons in the cell caverns across the island from where Astrid had been held, right where Hiccup had said they would be. Luckily for them, Exellinor had almost every warrior out searching the Archipelago for possible locations of the dragon jewel, so the Outcast forces were spread thin. Even if Hiccup did have a few of them on his side, they were Outcasts. They had gotten there from lying and stealing, among a few other lesser things, as well as murder and betrayal.

"No offense," Astrid said when she recounted this to Hiccup, who just chuckled, shoulders shaking with mirth as they ran for Toothless and Stormfly. She felt herself flush when she remembered her declaration of love in her cell, and the laughter that had gotten her from Heather and the prison guards. She remembered the chill that had thrummed through her body when Heather tried to use her charm speak on her. It was true that she had thought about those things the other girl had suggested, but the way his fingers tightened around her hand as they sprinted through a wild dragon nest said otherwise. She didn't need to worry about that kind of thing anymore, because he was here, sane and next to her, and that was all that mattered.

If Astrid didn't have so much loyalty toward her clan and the Archipelago, she could probably have run away with him and never looked back.

He split off from her as they entered the dragon cells like she'd been shown months ago, saying something about a lever that would cause the whole place to go berserk. She continued on her way down the winding corridors, calling for Stormfly. No sooner had she turned the corner than a Whispering Death came barreling down the corridor, hissing before it dove underground. Out the corner of her eye, she saw a Changewing appear on the wall, beady black eyes studying her before it decided she wasn't much of threat and scurried away.

So _that_ had been his idea.

"Hiccup, you're a genius," she said to herself, getting a run up before she forward flipped over a Gronckle with a bad attitude, landing on the other side and continuing her run down the corridor. Releasing the wild dragons would send the remaining Outcast guards into mayhem. It was a prison break like nothing she'd ever seen. He rejoined her down on the bottom level after he took care of a couple of guards up there, his face splattered with blood which told her things she didn't even want to know.

Toothless and Stormfly were the ones that found _them_. Hiccup was nearly tackled to the ground by an overjoyed Night Fury while Stormfly stopped just short of her rider to let Astrid run forward and wrap her arms around her neck, pressing her face against her scales as Stormfly cooed down at her as if to say "What were you so worried about? Silly girl, I knew you'd find me", nuzzling the top of her head and wrapping her long neck around her shoulders.

"We have to get out of here." Hiccup's voice broke her out of her reverie and she pulled back from Stormfly to look over to him, noticing he was already on Toothless's back. For some reason the Outcasts had left the saddles and Toothless's prosthetic on them - maybe they'd put up too much of a fight for them to be taken off properly. Whatever the reason, they could escape without having to double back for anything. "There's no telling what Grandmother will do now that we've escaped."

With a nod in agreement, Astrid climbed onto Stormfly's back and the two dragons took off like a shot down the corridor, Stormfly's gait making it easy for them to keep up with Hiccup and Toothless's four-legged run. They startled a pair of guards just at the entrance, but before they could react they were already in the air and out of firing range.

Once they were clear of Outcast Island, further down the ocean than their boats could follow after them in mere seconds, Astrid let out a relieved sounding laugh before she gave a whoop, causing Hiccup to look at her in puzzlement. She collapsed forward onto Stormfly's neck, earning a croon of concern from her dragon as she flew along, wings beating every now and then. They flew straight for about an hour or two before Hiccup caused them to swerve off to the right by angling Toothless, a small island in their sights.

They landed on the shores of a land that was probably roughly the size of the Hooligan village, both vikings sliding off their mounts. It was Astrid who closed the distance, looking like she wanted to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him, but instead she reached forward and took hold of his hand, threading their fingers, squeezing them so tight that the grip might've broken a lesser viking's bone. "I missed you," she confessed, feeling her cheeks heat up as she glanced out the corner of her eye towards the foilage.

Hiccup gave her an apologetic smile, probably one of the only genuine ones she'd ever won from him, returning the squeeze but without as much force as Astrid's before his brow furrowed together. "What were you thinking, coming to Outcast Island?"

"Gothi said it was time for me to go find you," she said, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear as they started walking further up the shoreline, towards the jungle area. The island was so small it probably wasn't on any viking maps, and the thought sent a small chill of delight down her spine. "I've been training with her to combat Heather and Excellinor's teas and herbs...so I wouldn't be as stupid as to let my guard down like I did months ago."

Watching her face flush in shame, Hiccup reached to cup her face with his free hand, giving a small sigh. "I could only briefly send correspondence to the other chiefs to let them know how the plans for the kingdom were coming along without raising suspicion. The night after you and the others left, Heather came into my room." His nose screwed up and she gathered that had been bad...well, of course, anything to do with Heather was bad. "If I hadn't taken Gothi's warnings seriously, she probably would've succeeded in messing with my head."

They stopped walking once they were past the line of trees littering the beginning of the beach and Astrid reached up to brush her fingers over the scarred, sewn shut eyelids of his left eye. "She told me...what made you think you had to give her an _eyeball_ as a price for her knowledge?"

It was his turn to look sheepish. "Grandmother always made people pay with body parts, either their own or someone else's. It was already damaged so it wasn't like I was loosing much." He shrugged. "It would've just been sitting there being useless."

"And somehow the fact that it's sitting there in a jar of old mead being useless makes it better?" She raised an eyebrow as she dropped her hand, placing it on her hip. At his lack of a response, she took the moment to wrap her arms around his neck, brushing their lips together in the briefest of motions before she kissed him fully. He let his hands drop to her waist, tugging her as close as possible as he returned it, tongue sweeping across her bottom lip before he drew it between his teeth, overbite nipping at the flesh.

The storm clouds they had passed on their way to the island started rumbling overhead and he broke the kiss, looking up as the first droplets of rain started sprinkling down, turning his attention back to her with a bit of a dorky smile. "Perhaps we should find shelter."

Astrid was about to protest before she felt a droplet of water hit the back of her neck and she scowled up at the sky, pulling her arms away to unclasp her shawl from around her shoulders, hoisting it up over her head. Stormfly, however, didn't seem to think that was necessary and cawed at her rider, opening her wing to fan it out over her head. "Thanks, Stormfly." She looked back at Hiccup, inclining her head. "After you, my King."

"Queens before Kings." He made a sweeping gesture with his arm as he tucked the other behind his back. She rolled her eyes at him, giving him a playful shove before taking his hand again, the two of them proceeding to walk through the forest, Stormfly and Toothless providing shelter with their wings as they walked.

As the island was small, it wasn't long before they found a cave in the hillside and, upon making sure that there wasn't any dragons or anything inhabiting it, the duo trudged in as deep as it would allow them, their dragons falling slightly behind. Astrid dangled her fur shawl between her fingers, getting Stormfly to make a fire with fallen sticks they'd picked up along the way. With the rain pouring down outside, the dragons sat near the neck of the cave, keeping an eye out as their humans sat close together near the fire.

Hiccup took off his chainmail, setting it to the side with a clunk and proceeding to remove his shirt since it had gotten a little wet despite Toothless's attempt to keep him dry. Astrid couldn't help but find herself watching as he shook his shaggy hair out, brushing his fingers through the wet bits at the front before he sat down on the cave floor with a fwump, leaning back on his hands languidly. She'd taken her shawl off and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You'll catch your death if you stand around in wet clothes, Astrid."

Her cheeks flushed pink at the suggestion before she gave a small sigh. He was probably right. Besides, it wasn't like there was anyone else but him and their dragons. Without much ceremony, she unclasped her shoulder guards before she wrapped her fingers under her shirt, pulling it off and over her head. She watched the look of disappointment cross his face when it showed that she'd wrapped her breasts, looking at him with a small smirk as she sat down next to him. "What? You were expecting something different?" Hiccup gave a small grumble along the lines of 'guess not', as she reached to take hold of one of his hands again, tenderly threading their fingers together as he looked at her with a bit of shock. "Well, I never said you couldn't."

"This isn't exactly conventional _or_ traditional, Astrid," he quipped as she drew his fingers towards her side, cupping her hand over his as she placed his weapon calloused palm over the middle of her waist.

"We're not exactly a conventional _or_ traditional couple, Hiccup," she murmured back, shifting herself closer, enough for their breath to intermingle. "Besides, I missed you." He made a face as though she was right about that, and he tilted his head down to kiss her, fingers slipping over her waist to find the clasp to her bindings as the wind and rain howled outside, masking any noise that was bound to come from the depths of the cave and shield their little island from the outside world.

* * *

**Author's notes:** muahahaha I'm mean :3 I mean I could've been even meaner and left it there for good, but there's still loads of unfinished business, so I won't. There's...maybe five, maybe ten more chapters to go (I hope), and once again I'd like to thank you all for reading and reviewing and faving and watching. I can't believe this thing's hit 300 reviews /ollies out into the sun


	35. Chapter 31

Waking up, Astrid felt warmer than she'd ever been before. Her head was groggy but as her memory came back, she let a smile cross her lips, feeling the warmth coming off of the body behind her, one of his arms wrapped around her protectively, his face buried between her hair and her neck. Hiccup must have felt her stirring, because his arm slid down from her waist and he pressed his lips to her nape with a murmur.

"Good morning, my Queen," he purred, watching her turn around to face him as he leaned up on his elbow, resting his head on his upturned hand as his other spread across the expanse of her back, fingers trailing over her hip and along her thigh, making her shiver from the touch and the way they throbbed as a gentle reminder. She hummed, tilting her head up to kiss his lips tenderly.

"My King." He nipped at her bottom lip in return and she reached up, cupping his face with both her hands as they kissed, tongues brushing together as they laid there on the floor of the cave. The kiss continued for about half a minute before a noise sounded on the other side of the dead fire and Astrid broke them apart, looking over her shoulder to see Stormfly and Toothless watching them, heads tilted curiously.

Hiccup chuckled warmly, stroking his hand over her stomach before he tilted his head to nip at the crook of her jaw. "I'll go get us all some breakfast. There's bound to be a fresh water stream somewhere here. I'm not risking going into the sky over the ocean."

"Mmm...do you have to?" Astrid nearly whined, draping her arms around his shoulders after they sat up, fluttering her eyelashes at him teasingly, earning herself a laugh before he gently unwrapped her arms, standing with a stretch. She licked her lips, watching the way his skin stretched over his stomach, the way small muscles stood out before she pouted in disappointment when he grabbed his pants and pulled them on.

Watching the look on her face, Hiccup reached down to help her up, pulling her into his arms for a quick kiss, fingers spreading out over her hips before he pulled away. "I'll be back soon. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that promise," she murmured against his lips, reaching up to tug on his little side braid. "Don't keep me waiting another five months." She watched him smile gently, neglecting to put on his shirt or chainmail before he walked around the dead camp fire, placing his hand to Toothless's head and the two of them taking off down the neck of the cave to the outside. She let out a small sigh, meeting Stormfly's knowing look. "Oh, what're you looking at?"

* * *

When Hiccup came back an hour later with a small armful of fish and some sticks for roasting, Astrid was dressed in her binder, skirt and boots, stoking a fire that she'd had Stormfly start. The cold air left from the rainstorm last night was lingering, and the two vikings let themselves enjoy each other's company as they cooked their fish, the dragons proceeding to eat their share before them.

"We could stay like this, you know." Astrid looked out the corner of her eye at him, watching the way he turned his fish over before they locked eyes. He cupped his free hand over hers, fingers stroking gently up her arm. "Blocked off from the outside world, nobody knowing where we are." He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. "Start our own tribe."

The thought made her tingle as she turned her head, letting him kiss her tenderly before she broke it off, leaning back on her hands. She gave a small sigh, reaching up to cup her hand against his cheek. "It's tempting, don't get me wrong, but leaving the entire Archipelago to war? You know I can't do that." At the look on his face, she stroked her thumb under his sealed eye socket. "You united three of the Archipelago's most dangerous tribes, Hiccup. If we leave your Grandmother in charge, she could cause war to break out without lifting her pinky."

"I know, I know." He sounded like a little kid, not at all like the bloodthirsty cannibal she'd first encountered. Hiccup leaned his head into her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. "Maybe after?"

She smirked a little before she shook her head, chuckling. "Maybe." Picking up her fish again, she inspected the meat and started to eat it, careful of the bones, hearing her stomach grumble in appreciation. She watched Hiccup practically devour his out the corner of her eye, her cheeks heating as she thought back to last night.

_Fingers dug tenderly into her hips, his face buried into her neck as he joined them together, his own hips rolling against her in a way that made her call out his name, back arching up off the floor of the cave. Lifting her legs around his waist, he started pressing into her, teeth nipping her collar bone, her nails digging into his shoulders_...

Astrid shoved a piece of fish into her mouth to keep herself from making any noise at the memory, the heat on her cheeks rising as she drew her legs up, knees together. Staring at the fire, she let her thoughts sober up, setting the remains of her fish down on the ground as she crossed her arms over her legs. "We need to find the dragon jewel before Excellinor and Heather do. It's the key to finishing this whole...thing."

"You're right." Hiccup finished off his own breakfast, throwing the bones into the fire and brushing his hands off on his pants. "Grandmother never informed me on where exactly the warriors had already searched since she thought Heather had me under some kind of spell, but I caught wind of a majority of the Outcasts being sent to Breakneck Bog last month. What better dragon to guard the jewel than the Smothering Smokebreath."

"And if Gothi's records are right and Grimbeard the Ghastly was the last person in possession of it, and he was one of the trickiest vikings who ever lived." Astrid pursed her lips together. "It's not going to be easy." She wrapped her arms around her knees. "A jewel made by Odin to keep Loki's children at bay and protected by the one viking who was as crafty as the God of lies and mischief himself."

Silence fell between them for a little while, their hands finding each other and fingers linking together, their dragons curled up behind them. After a long time, Hiccup spoke, his voice soft. "I think that's why I'm so important to this. Why I have Loki's mark." She remembered the mark she'd seen last night - a birthmark that looked like a snake biting its own tail. She hadn't thought much of it, mostly distracted. She cupped her hand around his tighter, brushing her thumb along his palm. He looked at her out the corner of his eye and smiled slightly, though it was a little bitter. "I was basically being groomed for this. Washing up on Outcast Island, all those years of training...it all lead to this." He looked back at the fire. "I've never told anyone, but I have a very faint memory, from the night I was sent across the Wrath of Thor. I remember someone hovering over me in that storm, as though they were making sure I was going to reach my intended destination. I don't remember what they looked like, but there was something about them that made me calm."

"Hiccup..." Astrid slid closer, settling herself next to him, blue eyes filled with worry before she looked back at the fire, leaning her head on his shoulder. "We don't have to do this, you know," she finally said after a minute or two of quiet, her fingers spreading along his and watching the way they linked and unlinked. "We could just live here, away from the war and all the fighting." When he gave her an incredulous look, considering she'd said the exact opposite before, she smiled, fingers squeezing his.

"No." He shook his head, brushing his lips over her temple gently. "You said it yourself, we're the ones who need to finish this."

"Then we should go back to Berk first. Grimbeard's final resting place is up in the hills past Raven's Point. Maybe we'll find a clue there, make sure we're on the right track as far as Breakneck Bog is concerned..."


	36. Chapter 32

Coming back to Berk was like coming out of a dream. Astrid and Hiccup had waited another day or two until they were sure that nobody had found their little island before flying back, and honestly Astrid had never felt so at peace. She watched him unravel in front of her, inch by inch of his old personality dripping away to show the person he probably would have been had he grown up on Berk, but still very much himself. She'd watched him trap and kill a wild boar for their dinner without mercy for Thor's sake, but afterwards he'd been so sweet and tender...

She shook herself out of those thoughts. Hiccup had said Excellinor was likely pouring all the Outcast warriors into the search for the dragon's jewel in order to cover more ground, which wouldn't have been much of a problem to do - even with the ones that were on his side, Heather's charm speak would have them completely in her thrall and willing to do anything she wanted.

Gothi didn't seem that surprised to see them when they showed up on the steps outside her door. She gave them a knowing look before her lips quirked up into a small smile, gesturing both vikings inside, leaving Toothless and Stormfly to wait out around the bottom of the stairs leading up to her cottage.

"You've been expecting us." It was Hiccup who broke the silence first as she ushered them into the den, shuffling over to where a small pile of sand lay in the middle of the room. She inclined her head in a way that said maybe she was, maybe she wasn't, but if the way she smirked was any indication, she had been expecting...something. "Then you know what this is about."

_I know many things, boy, but only what the Gods themselves decide to bestow upon me._ Gothi turned her attention to Astrid, her brow furrowed. _You've been gone for a week, child._

"They knew I was coming." Astrid pursed her lips together, glancing out the corner of her eye at Hiccup, who reached to take her hand. "I was knocked out of the sky. I have no idea how long I was out."

"Heather wasn't taking any chances where you were concerned," he said, his own eye narrowing. "'I think she did something to keep you knocked out for a couple of days. Some kind of drug. I only know they weaken the mind." He cussed under his breath. "I should've done somethig."

"Hiccup, you said it yourself, there wasn't anything you could've done without blowing things." She squeezed his hand, giving him a small smile before she smirked. "Besides, I think we shook things up enough for them to have kept her busy."

As he shared her smirk, Gothi's eyebrows raised to the ceiling. _So I take it the two of you have procreated?_ The bluntness of her statement made the two of them splutter, their cheeks going red with embarrassment as she laughed silently, shoulders shaking with mirth. _I wouldn't worry about it much, dears. No, you are here for a reason, and that is not the reason._

Recovering from the redness in his cheeks, Hiccup shook his head, his hand dropping from Astrid's. "We're here because we need to find out more about Grimbeard the Ghastly. He was the last known holder of the dragon jewel. Would you happen to know...?"

_Your great-great grandfather was a particularly vicious man, boy_. She shuffled around the room, picking up various bits and pieces around it before she found what she was looking for. Hiccup suddenly became aware of the ticking sound coming from it as she wandered back over, clearing the sand with the hook of her staff and beginning to write again, the ticking thing clutched between gnarled fingers. _He left his son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the second, on the side of a mountain to be left to the wilds._ Gothi watched his eyes widen out the corner of hers before she continued, letting it sink in. _That Hiccup was raised by dragons and survived. With his brother, the dragon Furious, he came back to Berk with the dragon jewel, organizing a peaceful rebellion to show Grimbeard the truth about dragons, much in the way you have shown the village, dear girl_. She turned her head to look at Astrid before she wiped the sand clean to make room for more writing. _His eldest son, Thugheart, convinced Grimbeard that it was a trick and lied about Hiccup's intentions, and it led to a massacre that ended with the death of his son and his own madness._

"That's so horrible," Astrid said, her hand leaving her side to wrap her fingers through Hiccup's, glancing at him. His face was paler than usual, green eyes impossibly wide and it was her touch that drew him out of it, almost as though he'd been seeing the past.

_As things were back then._ Gothi shook her head sadly. _Thugheart is the reason we were at war with the dragons for three hundred years. The dragon Furious, in his rage over the death of his brother, ordered the deserting of dragons and their masters. I believe the dragon you faced the previous summer to be an offspring of his, Astrid, who kept a particularly nasty hatred for vikings, no doubt from the stories her father told her. Furious is asleep somewhere deep in the Wrath of Thor, no doubt from the food coma he acquired after the rampage he went on after Hiccup's death. Thugheart was sentenced to Outcast Island for his treachery._

"He became the first Treacherous." Hiccup's voice was soft, his throat a little dry, and he licked at his lips, looking out the corner of his eye at Astrid when she looked at him. "Fath...Alvin was his grandson. I knew some of the old stories but I'm sure some of them were exaggerated a great deal. Thugheart became the chief of the Outcast tribe and his brother Chucklehead became the chief of the Hooligans. Grimbeard spent his final years in insanity, burying his treasure, but not before getting rid of the dragon's jewel that had started it all." He closed his eyes. "That's the reason why I had to get rid of Stoick and his brother, as well as Alvin. The dragon jewel brings out the worst in humans while bending dragons to the wielder's will. I didn't want to meet the same fate as Hiccup the second."

"You won't." Astrid turned him to face her, tilting her head to look at his face before he opened his eyes to look back at her. She smiled softly. "Because I'll be there to smack you out of whatever spell the dragon jewel will put you under."

"Gee, I feel so loved."

Gothi rolled her eyes before rapping them both on the head with her staff, bringing them to turn their attention to her. _It'll be a dangerous journey_, she warned, passing the ticking thing to Hiccup, who opened the hand that wasn't occupied to accept it. Looking at it, the ticking thing had a few numbers, one needle moving, an N at what appeared to be the top of the circle. _That will lead you to whatever it is you desire. How the Hysterics found the land to the West, if I recall. It's been many years since I received it as payment_.

"Thank you, Gothi." Hiccup tilted the ticking thing, and the needle spun around, getting used to the boy's touch before it slowed down, pointing somewhere to the North-East. He was about to open his mouth again when her door opened with a flourish, making the three of them turn to see Fishlegs standing there, looking out of breath.

"Fishlegs!" Astrid left Hiccup's side to cross the distance over to her best friend, her brow furrowed, a worried look on her face. He looked like he'd run all the way up to the top of the stairs that led to Gothi's cottage, and she wrapped an arm around him, bracing her hand against his chest before Hiccup jogged over to help her with him. Gothi frowned, but she gestured them to place him in one of the seats in her den.

The large blond doubled over once he was sitting down, wrapping his arms around is stomach with a mumble of "ow", fighting the stitch in his side as he gasped for air before he looked up at them. "They're looking for you," he said, fear in his eyes as he sucked in a breath. "I saw...I watched her. Snotlout, he...it only took her a couple of minutes of talking to him and..."

"Heather," Hiccup hissed out, fingers clenching around the ticking thing in his hand as his upper lip curled into a snarl, shoulders tensing.

Astrid looked up at him before she glanced back to Fishlegs where she was kneeling next to his chair, stroking his hand. "How did you get up here?"

"She must have been too busy placing the rest of the Hooligan men under her control to care about one escaping," the Outcast chief said, beginning to pace the room as he cursed under his breath. "I should have killed her."

There was a tap on the floor of the cottage and the three vikings turned to look at Gothi, watching her write in the sand scattered about her floor. _You should leave_. When they looked at her like they were about to protest, she opened her mouth, mangled tongue rasping out "_Go_!"

Astrid and Hiccup shared a look before the dragon conqueror stood reluctantly from Fishlegs's side, her hand still touching the back of his before they sprinted out of the cottage, down the stairs and, as though in sync, swung their legs over their dragons' backs. Stormfly and Toothless, as though sensing their riders' urgency, kicked off without hesitation.

By the time Heather approached the cottage, green eyes narrowed when she saw two specks on the horizon. She looked over her shoulder at two of the burly vikings under her command, snapping her fingers. "You two, follow them. Make sure you stay on their tracks," she snapped, before she used her foot to nudge open the door to the cottage.

Fishlegs nearly dropped his cup of tea when the door creaked open, swallowing deeply behind it as the girl sauntered in like she owned the place - which she may as well have. Half the population of Berk was under her control right now, in the middle of locking up the female half down in the caves underneath. Gothi raised an eyebrow at the rude intrusion, pointing the tip of her staff at her, voice croaking. "You have rudely set foot on sacred ground, girl," she rasped, wise old eyes narrowing before a light began shining from them. "_Leave_."

"Hello to you to, Gothi. Grandmother sends her regards." Heather's lips quirked into a smirk before her own eyes narrowed, looking at the old soothsayer with her hands on her hips. "I think no. Berk is under my control after all, part of the contract brother dearest made you fools sign all those months ago." The unearthly light momentarily left Gothi's eyes, shock appearing on her face that only made the girl laugh. "He _was_ right. You Hooligans are so easily fooled."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

She turned her attention over to Fishlegs, smiling at him sweetly as her eyes turned a sickly green, and she crossed the room over to him, leaning her hands on the armrests of his chair. "Oh, sweetie, you needn't worry your pretty little head. Now..._sleep_."


	37. author's note

Hello everyone! Sorry if you thought this was an update.

So first off I want to apologize for taking over a month to write the next chapter. My life's been pretty busy to the point where I've only been able to concentrate on drabbles and The Other Side of the Coin isn't something that deserves that type of concentration. I'm in the process of figuring out where to head things at this point, as well as doing a few important things IRL.

On a side note, I'm thinking about completely retweaking the chapters currently up and making them fuller, more background and description and dialogue, and these will be uploaded to replace what's already here, hopefully in the process helping me get my head around the next chapter. In the meantime I have a couple of drabble verses, **Weredragon of Berk**, and a hijack seasons AU that I'm working on right now.

So I haven't abandoned this fic at all! I'm just in a bit of a tough spot right now to concentrate on anything as long as it is and update continuously. Thanks for being so patient and hopefully you will see an actual update soon!


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